The Nets got off to a much better start than the one we saw opening night against the Boston Celtics. Shots were falling and lots of good ball movement was going around. With Lopez out, Mason Plumlee started off shining as he scored the first four out of six Nets points. Detroit was struggling to knock down shots early in the first quarter, but by the 7:31 mark, Brandon Jennings scored on the last three Detroit positions and would lead Brooklyn to call a timeout. That tied the game at 11.
Brooklyn controlled much of the first quarter in major part due to Joe Johnson’s impressive start. Johnson displayed a showcase performance from start to finish. During the first quarter, he had 12 points and four assists. He finished the first shooting 100 percent from the floor. Johnson was getting the majority of his points from the paint during the quarter. Mirza Teletovic had nailed two three pointers and had eight points to end the quarter.
Deron Williams would then begin to make some key plays in the second quarter as he made three straight shots by the 8:31 mark. By the 3:02 minute mark, the Pistons would go on a 15-4 run as the Nets missed back to back shots. After taking a timeout, Brooklyn would then respond with an 8-0 run to finish the first half strong.
By Halftime, the Nets had four players in double figures. Johnson lead all scorers with 17 points. Kevin Garnett had 10, Williams had 11, and Teletovic had 12. Jennings led the way for Detroit at the half with 12 points, while Greg Monroe contributed with 10 off the bench.
Brooklyn shot 53 percent in the first half, and the Pistons shot it at 39 percent. Compared to the 11 first half turnovers the Nets had last game, they had only three turnovers after two quarters.
The third quarter consisted of much fouling. Plumlee picked up his third fouls by the 7:34 mark. Andre Drummond was also in foul trouble as he picked up his fourth foul at the 6:40 mark. Garnett continued to have a strong game as he achieved a double-double during the third quarter. The Pistons were able to slim down the Nets lead to six after trailing by as many as 14. Entering the fourth, Nets had an 81-75 lead.
Detroit was able to take a one-point lead early in the fourth quarter. After that, Johnson would make it difficult to contain him as he began to go off. He nailed a three pointer to give the Nets a four-point lead with 7:03 left in the game. Pistons just had no answer for him as he began to make shot after shot. By the 2:05 mark, Johnson would have 15 fourth quarter points after knocking down a shot from downtown.
Johnson flirted with a triple-double as he finished the night with 34 points, six assists, and eight rebounds. He was the game's highest scorer. Williams ended the night with 15 points and six assists. A big night for Garnett as well, as he finished with 18 points, a new scoring high for him as a Net. He also tied his career-high as a Net in rebounds with 14. Garnett ended the night playing 35 minutes.
Monroe and Jennings ended up being Detroit’s highest scorers with 18 each.
The Pistons will look to earn their first win of the season against the New York Knicks on November 5. As for the Nets, they will look to go on a two-game winning streak and win their first game at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 3.