That turned out to be much more interesting than anyone expected — especially entering the fourth.
For most of Saturday night’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Brooklyn Nets looked headed for an ugly blowout. But thanks to an explosive fourth-quarter comeback led by Egor Dëmin, Brooklyn nearly pulled off a signature win before falling, 125-121.
Dëmin erupted for 15 points in the final frame — the highlight between he and Mikel Brown Jr. The two combined for five fourth-quarter threes and the Nets
cut a 22-point deficit to just four with 26.4 seconds remaining.
It wasn’t enough to secure the win, but for a young team like the Nets, there was a lot to like about the fight they showed against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. It showcased the “Brooklyn Grit” that’s commonly talked about.
And early on, there was plenty to like about the offense, too.
Julius Randle picked up right where he left off in his dominant Nets debut on Wednesday night, scoring six points on two-of-three shooting in his first five minutes. He continues to look like a highly valuable veteran for Brooklyn, not only for his scoring ability, but for his all-around contributions too.
Michael Porter Jr. also delivered another strong outing, but this time from start to finish, after he struggled in the first half last game and upped the ante in the second frame.
The Nets were alive by the end of the first quarter, trailing by just five points, 35-30. But while Brooklyn was finding ways to generate offense, they shot just 10-of-27 from the field (37%) in the opening quarter, compared to Cleveland’s 11-of-21 (52.4%).
The good news? The Nets were doing a much better job on the glass than they did on Wednesday night, coming down with six offensive boards in the first quarter alone, compared to the Cavaliers’ three. Those extra looks didn’t turn into points early, which is tough for the Nets, especially against a more established Cleveland team. They needed every advantage they could get.
The Cavs got contributions from just about everywhere early on. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley led the way, each scoring eight points to give Cleveland the lead at the end of the first quarter.
Noah Clowney provided a little spark off the bench, knocking down a three on his first shot before coming up with an impressive block on Evan Mobley.
After trailing by five at the end of the first, Brooklyn was outscored 33-22 in the second quarter, heading into halftime down 68-52. And the shooting numbers told much of the story.
The Cavs shot a blistering 57.9% from three in the first half, making 11-for-19. The Nets, meanwhile, shot just 40% from the field and 36.4% from deep.
The Nets also got extra opportunities. They had nine offensive rebounds compared to Cleveland’s five, but it wasn’t enough.
The Nets weren’t necessarily getting crushed on the glass, as I noted. In fact, they held a slight 24-23 rebounding advantage. But when you’re allowing opponents to shoot 54% from the field and nearly 58% from three, a slight rebounding advantage won’t do much.
Unfortunately for Brooklyn, the third quarter brought a similar energy. They struggled to find consistency offensively while the Cavs continued to dominate, with their lead growing to as many as 19 points and ultimately taking a 96-80 lead into the fourth quarter.
With over five minutes left in the third quarter, Josh Minott entered the game for his first minutes this season. Given how things were going defensively, it seemed like Fernández wanted to see if he could change the pace with his length as a 3-and-D wing, while also scoring some points.
For the second straight game, though, Ben Saraf, Drake Powell, and Danny Wolf each didn’t see the floor, leaving Dëmin and Nolan Traoré as the only members of the Flatbush 5 to enter the game.
The fourth quarter didn’t change much… early. And things only got worse for Day’Ron Sharpe, who picked up his sixth foul with 6:54 remaining in the fourth quarter. The play was evaluated for a flagrant as he closed out on a James Harden three-pointer.
Cleveland looked like they had this one wrapped up, just like it looked like they had their opener locked up. They blew a 29-point lead then. It looked like Brooklyn might pull off the improbable this itme.
The Nets’ late-game comeback fell short. It was improbable, fun, and gave a peak inside what Brown Jr. and Dëmin can be while on the floor together. The team showed energy, battled back from behind a better Cavaliers team, and made it close. It isn’t perfect, it wasn’t pretty, but it was something.
It’s only game two of 82 and the Nets still have a lot to clean up. Maybe Wednesday’s loss inspired confidence in the team’s future and their fight for Fernandéz — Sunday’s a new opportunity.
Next Up: Pacers
The Nets won’t have much time to dwell on Saturday’s loss and their 0-2 start. They return to Barclays Center Sunday night for the first of a league-high 16 back-to-backs this season, facing the Indiana Pacers.
Indiana is 1-1 to start the season. After beating the New Orleans Pelicans in their season opener, the Pacers fell 121-105 to the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
As Jordi Fernández told reporters before Saturday’s game, Brown won’t play on Sunday as he remains on a minutes restriction.
Coming back home on Sunday, the Nets are still looking for their first win of the season.
