Brooklyn Nets: Player grades from collapse against Clippers

1 of 6

The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t put the LA Clippers away early Saturday night and it cost them late, as the Clippers rallied for a 127-119 victory.

On City Edition night at Barclays Center Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets appeared early in the game to be headed for a notoriously big win. But they couldn’t finish the LA Clippers when they were wobbling early and the Clips got off the mat to steal a 127-119 win with a big finish.

The Nets were sizzling early, hitting 57.1 percent (16-for-28) from the floor in the first quarter, but were only able to open a 37-32 lead as LA hit 56.5 percent (13-for-23).

But Brooklyn started to pull away in the second quarter, opening a 51-36 lead before going ice cold. The Nets were shot only 30.4 percent (7-for-23) in the period and were saved only by a strong quarter at the foul line, making 13-of-14.

After taking the big lead, the Clippers rallied to trail by seven at the half, 67-60. The lead remained at seven entering the fourth quarter, as the Nets couldn’t sustain the momentum they had coming out of the locker room when they opened the lead back up to 13.

And then the Clippers put the hammer down. LA opened the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run in just 1:39. The teams volleyed the lead back and forth for the next several minutes before LA went ahead for good on monstrous dunks by Montrezl Harrell on consecutive possessions.

The second Harrell slam with 4:33 left put the Clippers up 112-110 and the Nets never recovered.

Three players took DNP-CDs Saturday night: Rodions Kurucs, Kenneth Faried and Dzanan Musa. Kurucs was pushed back in the rotation when Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was deemed ready to play after missing Friday’s game at Washington with a sprained right ankle.

The inactives for Brooklyn included Treveon Graham (left hamstring strain), Caris LeVert (subtalar dislocation of right foot) and two-way contract players Alan Williams and Theo Pinson (both with Long Island Nets of the NBA G League).

Here are the player grades from a night that started well, but ended poorly.