D'Angelo Russell poured in 25 points and Caris LeVert flirted with a triple-double while taking the lead in overtime as the Brooklyn Nets registered a 110-108 preseason win against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesar's Arena.
The Nets jumped out to a 14-point lead in the first quarter, putting together a 16-2 run despite losing Allen Crabbe to a sprained ankle less than three minutes into the game. Crabbe did not return to action. They were back up 13 in the third as Russell knocked down three 3-pointers in the quarter.
But the Pistons were back within a point going into the fourth, 80-79, and ultimately sent the game to overtime on Reggie Bullock's layup with 7.2 seconds remaining.
LEVERT TAKES OVER OT
LeVert got the Nets going in the first quarter with some playmaking, and made the same contribution in overtime. After Andre Drummond opened the extra period by giving Detroit a 104-102 lead, LeVert knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put the Nets back up. He then set up Jared Dudley at the top of key for another three, then maneuvered around the lane to feed Jarrett Allen for a dunk that put the Nets up 110-104.
LeVert finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in 35 minutes.
RUSSELL'S BIG NIGHT
After the Pistons closed with 52-51 early in the third quarter, Russell knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers. The 6-5 guard had 11 points in a 17-5 Nets run that boosted Brooklyn's lead back up to 69-56. He connected on 5 of 13 3-point attempts and made 10 of 22 shots overall.
ALLEN GETS ROLLING
The Nets were aggressive in feeding Allen on runs to the rim, particularly operating out of the pick-and-roll with LeVert. The 6-11 center finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, shooting 7 of 12 from the field.
BOARD WORK
The Nets fared better on the boards than they did in their preseason opener against the Knicks, outrebounding Detroit 60-55. Kenny Atkinson has said rebounding needed to be a team effort, and it was. DeMarre Carroll and LeVert matched Allen's nine rebounds, while Ed Davis grabbed 10 off the bench. The Nets gave up 13 offensive rebounds in the first half, but allowed just nine the rest of the way.
UP NEXT
The Nets play the Toronto Raptors in Montreal on Wednesday, then return to visit the Knicks on Friday in their final preseason game.