The Brooklyn Nets almost blew a big lead in Sacramento against the Kings but hung on to win, 103-100, behind Brook Lopez's huge night.
Brooklyn started of the game on fire, shooting 100 percent after their first six field goal attempts. They found themselves up, 14-7, after the first timeout. A main reason the lead was shining was because the inside damage the Nets were doing in the paint. 12 of their first 22 points came from the inside.
Kevin Garnett picked up two early fouls which lead to Brook Lopez getting some early minutes. He turned out to be a bright spot for Brooklyn, as he scored seven points in five minutes. Bojan Bogdanovic added up 10 early points to give the Nets a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter. The Nets concluded the frame shooting 70 percent.
The start of the second period would not be much different for the Nets, as they began on an 11-7 run. Around the midway point of the quarter, Brooklyn built its lead to 20 points. Mason Plumlee and Garnett didn't see any action this period, as they had two fouls at the time, and Lopez continued to have a strong game in their absence.
At the end of the first half, Brooklyn had a 62-46 lead. Lopez was the high man at the half, as he contributed with 13 points off the bench. He also had four boards and five blocks at the time. Another guy who was a spark off the bench was Alan Anderson, who had nine points. Joe Johnson was shooting 50 percent from the floor while adding eight points and four assists.
Darren Collison and Omri Casspi were leading Sacramento at the time with 10 points each. The inside game continued to be very effective for the Nets, as the paint scoring was 34-8 in favor of Brooklyn.
In the early minutes of the third period, Mason Plumlee picked up back-to-back fouls to give him four for the night. He was once again sent to the bench to avoid further foul trouble.
After trailing by as many as 23, Sacramento cut the lead to 10 by the 5:22 mark of the quarter, but the Nets were able to hold a double-digit lead, as they entered the final 12 minutes of the game. Sacramento found itself on an 8-0 run with 6:54 minutes left in the game.
Rudy Gay carried his team offensively by scoring 12 straight points. The crowd then began to get into the game, as they cheered on their home team, yelling “defense” while the Kings made it just a four-point game. The lead continued to shrink for Brooklyn, as DeMarcus Cousins nailed two free throws and made it a one possession game.
Johnson then got the Nets up to five by draining a three pointer in the final minutes of the game. Sacramento continued to try and fight back up to the final seconds of the game, but Brooklyn still came up on top.
Lopez finished with seven blocks, a season high for him. He also lead the way for the Nets with 22 points. Johnson and Jarrett Jack both concluded with 16 points each. Alan Anderson also had a good game, as he ended with 14 points. Cousins was the game’s highest scorer with 28 points. Gay finished with 25 points.
Brooklyn will look to get another road win, as they go up against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 22nd. As for Sacramento, they will matchup with the Golden State Warriors on January 23rd.