Undermanned Nets rally back, come up short in loss to Magic at Barclays
Brooklyn Nets guard Patty Mills drives the ball defended by Orlando Magic guard Gary Harris in the first half of an NBA basketball game at Barclays Center on Saturday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Playing with a minimum roster of eight players that could have been called "The Replacements" for their normally star-studded roster, the Nets overcame an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie the Magic with 2:33 left to play Saturday night at Barclays Center. But that’s where they ran out of gas in a 100-93 loss that ended their four-game winning streak.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Nets put together a 13-6 run that included eight points from David Duke Jr. to cut their deficit to 88-84 on a dunk by Kessler Edwards with 5:23 to go. Trailing later by nine, the energetic Duke scored six more in a 9-0 run, including a three-pointer to tie it 93, but that was their last score.
"It was an outstanding effort to get back in the game, and tie it late," Nets coach Steve Nash. "We’ve got a bunch of guys out there that are with us for the first time, playing extended minutes for multiple games for the first time. Overall, really proud of them and it was a great effort."
Patty Mills led the Nets (21-9) with 23 points, Duke had 18 points and 14 rebounds, Blake Griffin added 17, and Cam Thomas scored 15. Robin Lopez topped the Magic (6-25) with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Gary Harris scored 17 and Chuma Okeke totaled 15.
Before the game, the Nets announced that Nic Claxton (left wrist soreness) was out, and they added rookie Day’Ron Sharpe to their 10-man list of players sitting out because of health and safety protocols. Their bench included three players who signed 10-day contracts earlier this week.
During the game, Griffin suffered a knee injury, so his status for the second game of a back-to-back against the Nuggets Sunday night at Barclays Center is in doubt.
Describing the adversity the Nets faced, Griffin said, "It’s just crazy…Day’Ron was with us this morning, even this afternoon and then I walked back in the locker room and they’re like ‘DayDay’ got pulled…It’s just crazy. I don’t really know how to describe it. You walk into the locker room and just kind of look at everybody and laugh, and then, you just move on."
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
