Mark it as their first OT win of the season, the Brooklyn Nets have finally done it and in an exciting fashion at that. The entire game was a close and hard fought battle between the two teams. In the end, Brook Lopez got the quick tip to grab a win on the road for Brooklyn.
The first-half shattered a few records for the Nets. They managed to break their season-high in assists with 18. Also, they broke the record for field goal percentage at 62.5%. Brooklyn matched their season high nine three-pointers in the first half. All of this combined for a six point lead at halftime.
However, the Denver Nuggets weren't going to go down that easy. In the third, Denver outscored the Nets by eight points and tied the game up heading into the fourth quarter. It remained close throughout the entire fourth quarter. Emmanuel Mudiay converted on an and-one bucket to the Nuggets a two point lead. Mudiay had been punishing the Nets all night long, finishing with 25 points, seven assists, and six rebounds. With Joe Johnson gone, the Nets looked to Bojan Bogdanovic who was then fouled at the three-point line. Bogdanovic hit two of the three free-throws to tie the game up and head to overtime. Towards the end of OT, Shane Larkin ran to the paint and rimmed out a layup but Lopez jumped up and tipped it in to give the Nets a one point lead with .4 seconds on the clock. The Nuggets failed to convert on their last second attempt and the game belonged to Brooklyn.
The Brook And Bogdanovic Show
Lopez and Bogdanovic both had big nights. Bogdanovic was an essential piece in the great first-half for the Nets. He scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half alone. Brook had 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds. The most memorable of those 20 being the clutch game-winner, of course. Tonight marked the first time that Lopez has finished with 4+ assists in three straight games.
Other than Lopez and Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young had a solid night. He finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Wayne Ellington and Donald Sloan both had quiet nights. Ellington scored eight points and Sloan made seven buckets along with six assists.
Buckets For The Bench
Brooklyn's bench combined for 53 points on 21-40 shooting. They were a massive contribution to the win. Shane Larkin had 12 points and eight assists on the night. Rookie Chris McCullough had six points on 3-3 shooting. Thomas Robinson scored only two points but grabbed six rebounds on the night.
Sean Kilpatrick, on his third game of his 10-day contract, scored 12 points along with two rebounds and two assists. He displayed intense energy on the court, something which coach Tony Brown had noted in the Nets last game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He'll have two more games to prove himself worthy of an extended contract.
The Denver Killer
Markel Brown continues to be a dominate force for the Nets. The 24-year-old had 21 points, seven assists, and eight rebounds. A second-round draft pick, Brown has begun to prove himself worthy of solid playing time in Brooklyn. He had 19 points in the Nets last game against Denver. Something about the "mile-high city" makes Markel go on an offensive assault. Don't be surprised to see his numbers continue to steadily increase as the season goes on.
Next Up
The Nets will be facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday as their western road trip begins to come to a close. Their record now sits 18-44 but 4-4 since the all-star break.
Denver will be taking on the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. They'll be looking to improve their current record of 24-38.