After being dismantled by the Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday night, the Brooklyn starters made sure there would be no Deja-vu in tonight's matchup. Portland was without five players, including big names like LaMarcus Aldridge, Wesley Matthews, and Nicolas Batum, as they were all coping with injuries. Brooklyn was without the injured Alan Anderson once again. Brook Lopez, who won Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors for the second straight week, was matched up with his twin brother, Robin Lopez.
It was a sluggish start for the Nets in the first period of the game as they were shooting it at 35 percent while Portland was at 48 percent. Robin Lopez got the first highlight of the night as he had an early block against his twin brother, but Brook responded by putting up 13 early points.
Things began to pick up for Brooklyn in the second frame as they outscored the opposing team, 32-13. Portland missed five straight shots in that quarter as the Nets wrapped it up on a 24-5 run. At halftime, Deron Williams was 3 of 3 from downtown as he had 15 points. Joe Johnson had missed all his first six field goals, but he did contribute with four assists. C.J. McCollum was leading the Trail Blazers with 13 points.
Brooklyn started the third quarter on a 8-2 run, but it won’t be long until Damian Lillard started to take over. Lillard put up 14 points in the period as the Nets lead was cut to 13 after leading by as many as 22. The Brooklyn lead continued to get slimmer as it was cut to single digits with eight minutes remaining in regulation. Meyers Leonard had the hot hand at the time as his teammates fed him the ball constantly. With 56 seconds left in the game, Portland’s Coach Terry Stotts decided to foul early and send Brooklyn to the free-throw line as they led by eight. The Nets offense was not slowed down as they were able to convert on their free throws and hold onto their lead for a home victory.
Brook Lopez concluded the game with 32 points and one board shy of a double-double. Williams finishes with 24 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Thaddeus Young had 20 points and five boards. For Portland, Robin Lopez ended with eight points and seven boards. Lillard led the scoring with 36 points. Leonard earned a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards. Nets starters also did an excellent job of protecting the ball as they piled up only one turnover. Earl Clark, who didn’t see much action tonight, was signed to a multi-year contract on Monday after completing a 10-day contract.
There are five games remaining this season for Brooklyn as four of them will be played at the Barclays Center. Both teams’ next game will be on Wednesday, April 8th, as the Nets will host the Atlanta Hawks while Portland will be back home to host the Minnesota Timberwolves.