Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from landmark win at Orlando

2. Allen shut the rim down late

On balance, Friday night was not one of the more memorable games of the season for second-year center Jarrett Allen of the Brooklyn Nets.

He finished with just six points on 2-of-6 shooting in 25 minutes to go with 10 rebounds and an impressive four blocked shots.

But Allen’s biggest impact came in the closing minutes and came without scoring a point.

Orlando Magic center Nikola Vucevic has been touted as a potential All-Star this season and rightly so, coming in averaging 20.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

He had a solid night on Friday, finishing with 16 points and 17 rebounds, but Allen basically shut him down over the final 6:48, when both starting centers re-entered the game.

Vucevic was 1-for-5 over that final stretch, with Allen blocking one of his shots and altering two others. Vucevic had been able to bully his way into low-post position against Allen for most of the night, but when it mattered most, the 20-year-old pushed back.

Allen did a little of everything defensively, switching out onto smaller players on the perimeter after picks and holding his own out in space and being a constant presence in the paint as well, stopping penetrators and either forcing kickouts or altering shot attempts.

The Magic were just 8-for-21 in the fourth quarter after hitting 53.4 percent over the first three quarters. Allen’s defensive work down the stretch was a big reason Orlando went cold when the game mattered the most.

When you can be a difference-maker during an important part of the game without even attempting a shot? That shows that Jarrett Allen is hitting that next level as a defensive force.