Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie did what he could in loss

The Brooklyn Nets turned in an almost uniformly poor performance Friday afternoon, but Spencer Dinwiddie did what he could to keep the team in the game.

The Black Friday matinee for the Brooklyn Nets took on more of a Black Tuesday vibe, because much as the U.S. stock market crashed and burned on Oct. 29, 1929, so too did the Brooklyn Nets on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Nets shot poorly, turned the ball over way too often and had trouble getting their offense moving properly in a 112-102 loss at Barclays Center Friday afternoon to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Brooklyn shot 42 percent for the game. The Nets were 14-for-45 from 3-point range, a less-than-stellar 31 percent. But at least they gave up 31 points on 19 turnovers, so there was that.

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Coming off a road back-to-back and a holiday, the early start Friday did not do the Nets any favors, but they didn’t handle it particularly well either.

To its credit, Brooklyn battled back from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter to get the game within four points with three minutes to play before the Timberwolves closed out the win. (Proof that even when sleepwalking through a game, every NBA team makes a run.)

On a day where standout performances were lacking, Spencer Dinwiddie did what he could to help keep Brooklyn afloat.

He finished with 18 points, matching Joe Harris for team-high honors, and had eight assists while only managing two turnovers (on a day when it felt like everyone had two turnovers or more).

Did the ball stick to him more than a pace-and-space offense would like? Yes. Did he take some ill-advised shots? Yes.

But he also played with more energy than most of the Nets and that provided a big impetus for the comeback in the fourth quarter.

DInwiddie finished 6-for-14 overall and just 2-for-8 from 3-point range, but he made all four of his free throws and was engaged defensively. He also was one of just three players to finish the game with a plus/minus that wasn’t a negative number.

Jarrett Allen was a plus-3. Dinwiddie and Shabazz Napier posted zeroes. Thus endeth thy list.

The Nets lost by 10 in a game that felt much more lopsided, particularly after Karl-Anthony Towns made up for a lost first half due to foul trouble by putting up 17 points in the third quarter as Minnesota pulled away.

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A big reason why the score ended up much more respectable and the Nets had even a remote chance of completing a huge comeback was because of what Dinwiddie brought to the court on a day when almost everyone in a Brooklyn jersey was a bit off with their execution and focus.