Brooklyn Nets Have Best Win of the Season Against Los Angeles Clippers
102. 147. Final. 100. 77
The Brooklyn Nets got their best win of the 2014-15 NBA season on Monday night, and did it in thrilling fashion. This victory was also their first home victory in 2015.
The Nets were down 90-79 in the fourth quarter and were later down by eight points with 75 seconds to go. Based on previous games, fans would not have given the Nets a chance to win against a Western Conference playoff team, especially when trailing by that margin. They were struggling at home and were missing shots throughout the past few games, but against the Clippers, shots went down late.
Towards the end, Joe Johnson missed two straight free throws, and all hope seemed lost in the closing minutes of the game. Brook Lopez managed to tip the ball off the miss right back to Joe Johnson. Living up to his “Joe Jesus” moniker, Johnson promptly drained a deep three to cut the deficit. A couple plays later, the ball got to Alan Anderson, and he made a clutch four-point play after being fouled by Blake Griffin with about 15 seconds to go. This gave the Nets a 100-98 lead, and it was up to the defense to close out the game.
Feb 2, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul (3) dribbles the ball as Brooklyn Nets point guard Jarrett Jack (0) defends during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
The Clippers showed their fighting spirit and Chris Paul drove in to make a layup and tie up the game at 100 apiece. The Nets recently have not been great in tight games in the fourth quarter, and were coming off an overtime loss against the Toronto Raptors. In that game, Brook Lopez missed the game winner at the end of regulation, and the Nets went on to lose in overtime.
Monday against the Clippers proved to be different. 100-100, the Nets inbounded the ball to Jarrett Jack, who drained the go-ahead jumper over DeAndre Jordan to make the score 102-100. However, there were still 1.3 seconds left on the clock and the Clippers had two timeouts left. The Nets successfully prevented the Clippers from getting off a last shot, and walked off the court victors.
This victory was easily their best win of the season and couldn’t have come at a better time. They really needed a quality win coming off some bad performances at home in 2015, and a win against a quality team reinforced positive emotions.
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In the win, Brook Lopez led the team with 24 points off the bench and Joe Johnson had 22 points. Deron Williams returned from injuries and had a good impact, finishing with 15 points.
DeAndre Jordan was able to get a 20-20 game, but the Nets were able to overcome his strong performance.
With Williams back, the Nets are looking to make a run before the All-Star break and continue that for the second half of the season. They are in striking distance of the final Eastern Conference playoff seed, and a good run can help them make the playoffs. So far, they have not traded any of their star players, so a strong push here may change Billy King’s mind and keep the team together for at least this season.
The Nets improved to 19-28 on the season and next play Toronto on Wednesday.