Long Island Nets ride Dzanan Musa, Jordan McLaughlin to road win

The Long Island Nets fended off a 4th-quarter rally by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants Friday night to pick up a 117-111 NBA G League road win at Fort Wayne, Ind.

Dzanan Musa picked up his second career NBA G League double-double to help carry the Long Island Nets past the Fort Wayne Mad Ants Friday night 117-111 at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Musa, the first-round pick of the parent Brooklyn Nets in June, led Long Island with 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Nets bounced back from a blowout loss Thursday night to the Canton Charge in the first game of their three-game road swing.

Jordan McLaughlin added 24 points and five assists for Long Island (9-4) and the duo combined for 18 of the Nets’ 30 fourth-quarter points as the visitors had to come from behind after Fort Wayne (5-6) rallied early in the period to take a pair of brief leads.

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The Nets led 87-81 entering the final quarter, but the Mad Ants opened the period with a 10-2 run, taking a 91-89 lead on a pair of free throws by Stephan Hicks.

After Drew Gordon tied it for Long Island with a short turnaround hook shot, Hicks put Fort Wayne back in front with a drive to the rim.

Musa answered with a 3-pointer at the other end and Alan Williams followed up with a layup off an inside feed from Mitch Creek to put the Nets up 96-93 and they never trailed again.

McLaughlin’s two free throws with 2:14 left put Long Island up 10 at 111-101 and Fort Wayne never got closer than six the rest of the way.

Williams, who missed Thursday’s game with a sprained left ankle, finished with 18 points in 23 minutes for the Nets. Theo Pinson added 17 points in 34 minutesm while Creek and Gordon each scored 10 points.

Williams and Pinson are with Long Island under two-way contracts with Brooklyn.

Hicks led the Mad Ants with 29 points and three steals, while Davon Reed — on a two-way contract with the parent Indiana Pacers — added 26 points and three steals. Ike Anigbogu finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

Tra-Deon Hollins dished out five assists for Fort Wayne, while Omari Johnson scored 15 points. The Mad Ants played without leading scorer Edmond Sumner, a two-way contract player who was with the Pacers for their 112-90 win over the Orlando Magic Friday night.

Musa has played in all 13 games for Long Island this season and is leading the team with his 20.5 points per game average, while also averaging 7.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting .435/.342/.825.

The 19-year-old has played 26 minutes in seven games for the parent Nets this season, with 12 points, three rebounds and assist and two steals on 6-of-14/0-for-6/0-for-2 shooting.

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While Friday’s double-double was Musa’s second of the season, it was also his second in three games, as he had 20 points and 10 boards Tuesday in the Nets’ win over the Wisconsin Herd.