The Brooklyn Nets reached the semifinals of the NBA Summer League before their run in Las Vegas ended with an 85-77 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
The Nets finished the event with a 4-2 record, including a 105-85 win over Detroit in Saturday’s quarterfinal game as they advanced to the eight-team championship tournament after winning three of four preliminary round games.
Center Jarrett Allen had 30 points and 11 rebounds in that quarterfinal win and finished up averaging 16.4 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 61 percent in 26.6 minutes per game over five games.
The Nets had four more roster players in Las Vegas, including second-year guard Theo Pinson and rookie draft pick Nic Claxton, both of whom signed contracts with the team while in Las Vegas.
Pinson, who played last season for Brooklyn and the Long Island Nets G League affiliate on a two-way contract, averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while Claxton played in four games, averaging 5.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and shooting 61 percent in 15.8 minutes per game.
Brooklyn’s 2018 draft picks, Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs, each got their first Summer League experience after being unable to participate last year. Musa had a game-sealing block in an 88-85 win over Washington last Monday and a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds in a 93-85 win over Orlando on Wednesday that helped clinch Brooklyn’s place in the championship tournament. He averaged 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in six games.
Kurucs, who started 46 games for Brooklyn as a rookie, also played all six games, averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Against the Timberwolves on Sunday, the Nets jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Minnesota pulled ahead to a 55-48 lead at halftime. Allen had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the first half alone, but left the game midway through the third quarter with a hip contusion after a hard fall and finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
Minnesota pulled away in the third quarter, building a 23-point lead as the Nets scored just two points in the first eight minutes of the second half. Amida Brimah finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds and C.J. Massinburg and Josh Gray had 11 points each.