The Brooklyn Nets opened up their two-game series with the Los Angeles Lakers in China by pulling out a 114-111 win in the final minutes at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.
A Dzanan Musa 3-pointer with 4:00 remaining put the Nets up 108-106 and launched a 6-0 run that had the Nets leading 111-106 in the final minute before the Lakers tied the game at 111.
With 20.9 seconds remaining, Theo Pinson made 1-of-2 free throws for a 112-111 Brooklyn lead. The Nets forced a Los Angeles turnover at the other end, and David Nwaba’s dunk put Brooklyn up 114-111 with nine seconds to go.
Spencer Dinwiddie led Brooklyn with 20 points and seven assists and Taurean Prince had 18 points, making 4-of-6 3-point attempts. Musa had 16 points, also shooting 4-of-6 from deep, while Rodions Kurucs, Joe Harris and Theo Pinson each scored 10 points.
The Nets shot 48.8 percent (20-for-41) from 3-point range.
Starting guards Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert each took contact to the face in the opening minutes of the game and did not return. Irving was seeing his first action as a Net and wearing a mask after suffering a facial fracture during a workout prior to the start of training camp.
The Nets took a 57-55 lead at halftime as Dinwiddie had 15 points and three assists in 13 minutes, with Musa and Prince scoring 10 points each. The Nets made 10-of-18 3-pointers (55.6 percent) in the first half with Prince, Dinwiddie, Musa and Garrett Temple making two each.
The high-powered Lakers duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined for 30 of 55 first-half points for Los Angeles.
The Nets went up 25-21 in the first quarter after Temple made both of his threes in a matter of minutes, but Los Angeles closed the quarter on a 12-4 run to take a 33-29 lead.
Musa had an active second quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting, including 2-for-3 rom 3-point range. A Kurucs 3-pointer with 1:45 to go in the half put the Nets back in the lead for the first time since late in the first quarter, up 54-53, and was followed by a Dinwiddie triple.