After taking a 125-118 loss on Nov. 14 to the Lakers in Los Angeles, the Brooklyn Nets finished the season series tied at one apiece with a win at Barclays Center.
Brooklyn Relied on Free Throw Shooting Early
The Nets could not buy a shot at the start of the contest. They went one-of-nine from the three-point line and shot 32 percent from the field. Yet their free throw shooting was on point with them converting on 10 out of 11 attempts. On the other hand, Los Angeles did not have problems finding their shots early on. They shot 52 percent and finished the first period on a 9-0 run to take a 30-27 lead.
Nets Straighten Up their Defense
Brooklyn held their opponents to only 13 points in the second stanza of the game. That was the lowest amount of points they allowed any opponent to score in a frame this season. The nets ended the period on a 13-4 run which included a three-point buzzer beater by Sean Kilpatrick to earn a nine-point lead at halftime.
Turnovers Piled Up in a Hurry for Brooklyn
Larry Nance Jr. goes for a poster dunk in the third quarter. (video above)
The Lakers retaliated at the start of the second half and had their highest scoring quarter of the game. They went for 33 points which included a 15-3 run. A major part of the Los Angeles comeback was due to the lack of ball protection for the Nets. After having committed only five turnovers in the first half, Brooklyn had six turnovers in just the third period. Heading into the final 12 minutes of the contest, the Lakers lead 76-75.
Deja Vu Occurs in Final Minutes of Regulation
Similar to the Nets who missed lots of shots in the first period, Los Angeles could not convert on a field goal. They missed ten straight shots while Brooklyn had no problem finding offense. The Nets pushed their lead to double-digits and took better care of the ball as they went on to secure a win at home.
Top Performers
Bojan Bogdanovic led all scorers 23 points. Kilpatrick finished with 22 points and Brook Lopez added 20. Trevor Booker scored eight points to go along with 18 boards. For the Lakers, Lou Williams lead the way with 16 points. Brooklyn shot a total of 40 free throws and converted on 30. They also outrebounded their opponents 61-49.
Quotes
During the post-game interview, Kenny Atkinson told the media, “Brook was big, love the guy's leadership. Comes to every timeout with something positive."
When asked about the team’s rebounding performance, he said: “We have to do it as a team. That's how it's gotta be for us."
On the other side, Lakers’ head coach Luke Walton said in the postgame interview, “As a team, we’ve got a lot to learn about winning, and how it is. It's frustrating.”
Other Things to Note
-Jeremy Lin made a shot to return on Monday night after having last played on Nov. 2 due to injury. Tonight, he was out action once more due to lower back soreness. Lin has missed a total of 18 games this season.
-Rookie Isaiah Whitehead fouled out of the game with 3:50 left in regulation. He finished with eight points.
-The Nets are 6-7 at home and 5-7 against Western Conference teams.
-Nick Young and D’Angelo Russell played their third game since being absent from injury.
-Bogdanovic had his sixth 20-point game and his first one at home.
Up Next
Both teams will be back on the court on Friday, Dec.16. Brooklyn will travel to Orlando to face the Magic, at 7:00 p.m. E.T.
Los Angeles will continue their road trip and head to Philadelphia for a meeting against the Sixers at 8:00 p.m. E.T.