SACRAMENTO – The Brooklyn Nets of the first game of the second half of the 2014-15 season looked a lot like the team we saw in the first 41 games.
They had moments of terrific offensive basketball, scoring 36 points in the first quarter. They built a 23-point lead in the second quarter. They put five players in double figures.
Yet as has been the case so often, the Nets saw the lead disappear and almost saw a win get away. But they hung on to beat the Sacramento Kings, 103-100, Wednesday night in Sleep Train Arena, winning a game they probably would have lost earlier this season.
The Nets went 17-24 in the first 41 games of the 82-game regular season. They are 1-0 in the second half and 18-24 overall. Sacramento fell to 16-26.
The Nets led by as much as 23 in the first half but saw their lead dwindle to 96-94 with 1:31 left. Joe Johnson made a monster three, grabbed a crucial offensive rebound, and drained 3 of 4 free throws in the final 24.1 seconds to secure the win.
Brook Lopez led the Nets with 22 points. Johnson and Jarrett Jack added 16. Jack had eight assists and Johnson had eight boards.
KEY PLAY: With 3:26 left in the second quarter and the Nets seemingly in firm command leading 60-40, Jarrett Jack lost control and seemed to throw a forearm shiver at the chest of Omri Casspi. Already without Deron Williams (fractured cartilage of his left 12th rib), the Nets could ill afford to lose Jack. He was assessed a Flagrant Foul 1, but not ejected.
KEY STRETCH: The Nets held a 64-50 led early in the third quarter when Mason Plumlee was called for two fouls - his third and fourth -in a 64-second span. Plumlee went to the bench and the Nets seemed stunned. Sacramento quickly got to within 70-60. But led by Lopez, the Nets pushed the lead back to 81-65. Lopez scored seven of the Nets’ 11 points. That allowed Lionel Hollins to give Jarrett Jack an extra two minutes and 29 seconds of rest at the end of the third quarter. A rested Jack and an 82-69 lead were enough to get the Nets home.
KEY STAT: DeMarcus Cousins finished with a game-high 28 points and 14 rebounds but he needed 24 shots, making just 10. Brook Lopez was terrific on defense, blocking six shots.
NETS GAINS: It’s easy to forget the contribution Alan Anderson makes. He’s a terrific locker room presence who often defends the opponent’s best offensive wing. Anderson scored 14 points, going 5 for 5 from the line, including 3 for 3 with 4:26 left. He added five rebounds, two assists and grabbed a loose ball with a little more than three minutes to play that led to a Lopez basket and a 96-88 lead.
NETS LOSSES: The Nets announced before the game that Williams would miss all three games on this trip as he recovers from the fractured rib cartilage. Williams has resumed shooting and working out but is not engaging in full contact practices. He will be evaluated when the Nets return home.
TALK: “We played the game we wanted to play and we won," said Hollins.