Dennis Schroder's 20 points lead the Nets' bounce-back effort in a win over the 76ers
Dennis Schroder of the Nets dribbles the ball during a game against the 76ers at Barclays Center on Tuesday. Credit: Errol Anderson
At halftime Tuesday, Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie challenged his team to get back to their standards and do the small things.
The message connected as the Nets won, 112-107, over the 76ers at Barclays Center. A day after a lackluster loss to the Grizzlies, they responded with greater effort, rallying from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Dorian Finney-Smith made a corner three-pointer with 1:37 left to put the Nets (25-37) ahead 106-100. Dennis Schroder sealed the win with a layup with 23.1 seconds left that made it 108-103.
Both Finney-Smith and Schroder had 20 points and the Nets won on the second night of a back-to-back for the first time in six tries.
“Just saying that we're gonna stand on our business and take care of what we need to take care of and control that,” Ollie said of his halftime message. “And we can control our effort. We can control our attitude and the things we bring on the court."
The Nets outrebounded the 76ers 44-38 and shot 10-for-17 in the final period after folding Monday to a Grizzlies team down nine players. The Nets trailed 92-84 Tuesday, but rattled off an 11-0 run capped by a Nic Claxton three-point play to take the lead.
At one point in the second quarter, Schroder and Kyle Lowry had to be separated after exchanging words following a foul by Lowry. It fired Schroder up, as he made three free throws then followed it up with a layup and a three-pointer to put the Nets up 53-51 after trailing by 14 points in the period.
“Dennis is a competitive player and something like that really gets him going to a whole 'nother level,” Lonnie Walker IV said. “At the end-all, be-all, you appreciate when players are going back and forth because you know you’re in tune with the game.”
Schroder added eight assists and Finney-Smith had eight rebounds while filling in at center with Day’Ron Sharpe injured late in Monday’s loss.
The Nets were down three players with Sharpe, Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas out and later lost a fourth when Cam Johnson was undercut by Lowry while making a three-pointer in the first quarter and fell down grabbing his right ankle.
Johnson briefly left the game, returned, but exited for good in the second quarter after playing eight total minutes. The Nets ruled him out with an sprained ankle and Johnson left the locker room with a pronounced limp. He said he’d undergo scans Wednesday.
The 76ers (35-26) were also shorthanded with All-Stars Joel Embiid (knee) and Tyrese Maxey (concussion symptoms) out. Yet the Nets picked up the slack with five players in double figures.
Walker had 19 points off the bench and responded to Ollie subbing him at one point for not challenging Paul Reed on a rebound.
“He put some more energy in my soul, as far as I gotta lock in and I really got to pick it up and understand we're not taking these possessions for granted,” Walker said. “We’re playing the right way and I owe it to my teammates, to say the least.”
Claxton had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Mikal Bridges had 15 points and six rebounds in 38 minutes after playing 39 the night before. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a team-high 28 points off the bench for the 76ers.
With the Hawks winning over the Knicks, the Nets also kept pace behind them for the final play-in tournament spot. They trail Atlanta by 2 1/2 games. More importantly, they regained their focus heading into a tough stretch with 10 of the next 11 games on the road, including the next six.
“This is our fourth quarter of our season,” Ollie said. "So we have to challenge each other. We can't let no game slip and we got to take care of business.”
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
