The Nets bench scored 66 points to help defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, 121-104. Monday evening
Here are the takeaways…
– Kyrie Irving gave Brooklyn an early lead on a layup, then Nic Claxton shipped Denis Schroder‘s fired away, leading to an Irving three to put the Nets up 11-6. Los Angeles’ Pat Beverley was called for a three-point shooting foul on Irving and disputed the call with the referees, resulting in a technical foul and four free throws to extend Brooklyn’s lead to 19-6. Russell Westbrook then made two straight three-pointers as the Lakers tried to close the gap in the first quarter.
cam thomas buried a three and Day’Ron Sharpe blocked Juan Toscano Anderson on the edge to close out the quarter as the Nets led 29-16 — the fewest runs Brooklyn had allowed in an opener all season. Irving led the way with nine points and Royce O’Neale added in eight points. Brooklyn held LA to 27.3 percent shooting (6 for 22) from the field in the first.
– Yuta Watanabe rejected Wenyen Gabriel then drained a three-pointer to give the Nets a 41-22 lead about three minutes into the second quarter. Claxton was called for a technical foul, but caught him on the next possession with an offensive tip and a dunk. The Lakers continued to trail as the Nets’ lead remained at around 15 points for most of the quarter. The Nets missed eight straight shots and the Lakers cut the lead to 10, but then Joe Harris made a three and Claxton scored on the inside to give the Nets a 58-46 halftime lead. The Lakers outscored the Nets, 30-29, in the second to keep the game close, as Westbrook led them with 11 points in the first half. But Brooklyn’s defense continued to make the difference, as LA shot just 35.6 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from three to two quarters.
– LA went 10-0 to open the third, cutting the Nets’ lead to 58-56 and forcing Jacques Vaughn to call the timeout with 9:07 remaining in the quarter. Seth’s Curry was called for a technical foul, giving the Lakers a free run and an extra possession. LA took advantage and Schroder hit a three to give them their first lead since 6-3. The lead didn’t last long, as Irving made a three and then scored in transition to give the Nets a 63-60 lead. Curry tied things at 68-68 with 5:43 to go after Thomas Bryant was called for the goalkeeper.
– Gabriel scored nine straight for the Lakers, then Irving scored on the fast break as the Nets trailed, 79-75, with 2:44 left in the third. The Nets closed the quarter on a 10-0 run, as Thomas hit a back three and Sharpe scored on a tip to make it 85-82 heading into the fourth.
– Patty Mills and Thomas hit three straight, then Mills’ defense led to a Watanabe layup as Brooklyn went up, 95-85, early in the fourth. Sharpe got the Barclays Center back on their feet with his career-high 14th rebound and capped it off with a powerful two-handed jam. Thomas converted a one-and-one to take the lead to 13 and give him 15 points in 15 minutes off the bench. Westbrook made a three to make it a single-digit game, but O’Neale came back with a three-pointer and Claxton scored in transition to push the lead to 111-99 with 3:40 remaining. Irving then hit a three-point dagger in the corner with the shot clock.
– The Brooklyn bench combined for 66 points, while Thomas and Mills both scored 21 points, Watanabe finished with 12 and Sharpe added eight (Markieff Morris and Edmond Summer both had two dots). Irving led the Nets with 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists. O’Neale finished with 14 points, and Claxton had six points, 12 rebounds, one block and one steal.
Strong points
And after
The Nets travel to Boston and face the Celtics on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
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