The Brooklyn Nets are coming off an epic win Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets, coming back from 14 points down in the fourth quarter and then from a seven-point deficit in overtime in their 145-142 win.
After Spencer Dinwiddie stunned the Rockets with three 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds of regulation, including the tying triple to force overtime with eight seconds remaining, the Nets ultimately outscored the Rockets 10-0 in the final 72 seconds of OT, with Dinwiddie putting Brooklyn in the lead for good with his three-point play on a drive with 28 seconds to go.
It was Brooklyn's 27th "clutch" game of the season, defined as a game with a margin of five points in the last five minutes, which is tied with the Lakers for the most in the NBA. But after losing 12 of their first 16 such games, the Nets have won nine of their last 11. They're also 8-5 in games decided by three points or less, with the 13 such games also the most in the NBA.
"We've had it go the other way, right, in the beginning of the season," said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. "So we're starting to get some payback. I think it really speaks to how together our team is and how everybody is contributing. Obviously Spencer made some phenomenal plays but defensively I thought we made some good plays. We gave up 70 threes somehow, so we're going to have to look at that, but listen, that's what they do. It's a great all-around team effort."
The Nets head into Orlando for Friday night's game against the Magic having evened their record at 23-23 after winning 15 of their last 20 games. They're now tied for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with the Miami Heat (21-21).
"I'll say this, I'll admit it, that's real progress. I've really been, back off, I don't want to get ahead or have a parade or anything. But that's real, big-time progress," said Atkinson. "Really, the group deserves it. With the injuries we've had, with different guys stepping up, through that losing streak how they stayed together. It's a heck of an accomplishment, but I think these guys want more. When the confidence grows like that in a team, you just feel it. You feel the momentum. And you felt it on the bench during the game, then feel it in the locker room. There's a rise in confidence. It's great to see."
DINWIDDIE IN THE CLUTCH
Wednesday night's show wasn't an entirely new thing from Spencer Dinwiddie. We've seen this before; the game-winning shots, the fourth-quarter takeovers. But this may have been his best show yet.
From the 5:50 mark of the fourth quarter through the end of the game, Dinwiddie scored 25 of Brooklyn's final 46 points.
"We've got to put in a new play, it was called everybody get out of the way," said Kenny Atkinson. "Really, it was 1-4 flat and give him space to roam. We had to play quick. No plays. He thrives in that situation where he's got driving lanes."
Ultimately, Dinwiddie finished with 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting, including 4-for-8 from 3-point range, plus 10 assists.
"Just fantastic. He was unbelievable," said Atkinson. "And then, I liked that he didn't settle, especially on that three-point play off the offensive rebound from (Treveon Graham). TG gets the offensive rebound, kicks it out to Spence, Spence doesn't take a bad three, he drives it and he gets the and-1. So I thought the threes were great, but I also love how he was driving the ball to the rim too."
20 AND 20
With Clint Capela out for the Rockets on Wednesday, it was evident from the start that Houston was going to have a problem with Jarrett Allen. The Rockets started the undersized and inexperienced rookie Gary Clark (6-foot-8, 15.7 minutes per game) and looked lost in pick and roll coverages right from the beginning.
Allen scored eight of Brooklyn's first 21 points and had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds by halftime.
"They were small. I thought he punished them early. They were switching everything, and he rolled to the rim and we just kind of threw it up to him," said Atkinson. "We kind of made them think, like, 'OK, we're gonna have our 7-footer, you're gonna have to guard him too.' We didn't do it with the post up, we did it with the pick and roll. And then his rebounding."
Allen ended up posting career highs in rebounds (24) and minutes (43) while scoring 20 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
"I think in past games we wouldn't keep Jarrett out there when they're playing small ball," said Atkinson. "And we said the heck with it. He's playing so well, I don't care if they have five guards out there. You're gonna have to guard a guard. And he was guarding (James) Nunnally, and guarding P.J. Tucker. It's a great growth game for him tonight. He was great."
GRAHAM'S BIG NIGHT
Treveon Graham was just five games back from a hamstring injury that cost him 37 games when he found himself in Brooklyn's starting lineup. With injuries to Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jared Dudley, the 6-foot-5 swingman has started at the 4 spot against Toronto, Boston and Houston.
Kenny Atkinson has raved about the swingman's defense and physicality since training camp, but he struggled the show the 3-point stroke that made him an attractive offseason acquisition to begin with. In his first six games back, Graham shot 3-for-24 from 3-point range.
But as Atkinson has said -- and been proven right -- about DeMarre Carroll and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson this season, it takes a little time to get back in rhythm. And in a game in which every little contribution mattered, Graham's was huge against the Rockets on Wednesday.
He scored a career high 21 points in 31 minutes, shooting 7-for-9 overall and 3-for-4 from 3-point range. With the Nets trailing by seven points and under 90 seconds remaining in overtime, Graham opened the 10-0 run that closed the game with a 3-pointer. Less than a minute later, he grabbed the offensive rebound off a Jarrett Allen free throw miss that led to Spencer Dinwiddie's go-ahead three-point play.
"He made huge plays," said Atkinson. "Even the corner three. I've been telling you, he's gonna make 'em, he's gonna make 'em. The coaches keep telling me, he's making them in practice, he's making them in training. That big offensive rebound he had to kick out to Spencer, and then the corner three he hit in the left corner, that was huge. And then I thought his D on Harden, he did a good job. He gave us a real physical presence on a great player."
ABOUT THE MAGIC
The Magic are 19-25 and have dropped to 10th place in the Eastern Conference after losing five of their last seven games, although the two wins came against the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets. Orlando ranks 25th in offensive rating (104.8) and 27th in points per game (103.6) and doesn't generate much in extra offense. The Magic are 18th in 3-point percentage and 17th in 3-point attempts, 30th in free throw attempts, 28th in steals and 27th in points off turnovers, 28th in offensive rebounding and 25th in second-chance points. Seven-footer Nikola Vucevic is the type of stretch 5 that has given the Nets trouble, and he had a pair of double-doubles in three games against Brooklyn last year, including a 41-point game. Vucevic leads the Magic with 20.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 38.3 percent from 3-point range. Forward Aaron Gordon is averaging 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds and guard D.J. Augustin is shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range.