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Brooklyn's Stellar Fourth Quarter Propels Them to Victory Over the 76ers, 88-70

By Anthony Puccio
Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

BROOKLYN -- Another start to the Brooklyn Nets' season, another disappointed locker room and front office. At halftime of their 105-80 loss to the Chicago Bulls, it was reported that Andrei Kirilenko and Jorge Gutierrez were sent to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers, their opponent Friday night at the Barclays Center. The team stood at 8-12 heading into the contest, with Joe Johnson retuning to action after sitting out due to the flu and two bigs, Brook Lopez and Mason Plumlee sidelined as well.

Despite an 0-of-8 shooting night from Deron Williams, the Nets were able to get their act together and walk away with a victory, 88-70, over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets didn't play great, but their second half effort was just enough to slide by the bottom-feeding 76ers. They outscored Philly 25-10 in the fourth quarter and 44-25 in the second half. The 25 points allowed in the second half tied a franchise record. Moreover, the 76ers made just 11 two-pointers, the fewest in a game since the advent of the shot clock.

The Nets finished the day shooting 44% from the field and 25% from three, but held the Sixers to 31% shooting overall. With that, they outscored the Sixers 38-18 in the paint, along with out-rebounding them 45-36. They also translated their 23 forced turnovers into 23 points.

More than anything, it was the Nets' strong finish to the game that propelled them over the Sixers. They held Philly scoreless the first five minutes of the final frame, and in the midst of doing so, they jumped out to a 10-0 run and grasped a 13 point. It was their largest lead of the night, which eventually turned into 15. The 76ers missed eight consecutive shots before converting on a three-pointer to halt the Nets' run.

It was a game that lacked offensive energy, but a huge showing from Mason Plumlee helped the Nets escape with a W. Plumlee, who started in place for Brook Lopez, threw home dunk after dunk, eight in all. It was just the spark Brooklyn needed. He finished the night with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

"We did a good job of keeping their guys out of the paint, and we held them to one shot," Lionel Hollins said. "That was huge. We won the rebound battle and we won the turnover battle...

"From the middle of the third quarter through the first half of the fourth, we did a really nice job of just executing, just playing. It was not a lot of bad shots and not a lot of turnovers."

Williams continued his shooting slump, going 0-of-8, making him 17-of-59 over the last five.

"It was just one of those nights where the ball wouldn’t fall in the basket. Guess I should’ve shot about 20 more shots," Williams said smiling, a thinly veiled reference to Kobe Bryant's comment that Williams should never have stopped shooting while going 0-of-9 vs the Heat in last year's playoffs.

D-WIll did get into double figures in assists and said he was happy with the team's offense.

"Our ball movement was great tonight," Williams said. "We had 25 assists, and got a lot of opportunities out of the pick-and-roll. (Mason Plumlee) played great out of the pick-and-roll, and had a big night for us."

Along with Plumlee, Joe Johnson and Alan Anderson chipped in 12 points apiece, while Sergey Karasev finished with 11 in 28 minutes. They were the only Nets in double figures. Six of the seven Nets 25 or younger scored a total of 50 points. In addition to Plumlee, Sergey Karasev scored 11, matching his career high, set two games ago. Bojan Bogdanovic ended a two-game shooting drought, going 4-of-6 to score nine points. Cory Jefferson had perhaps his best game with six points, seven rebounds and three blocks and the two newest Nets, Brandon Davies had four and Darius Morris, two.

For Philadelphia, Robert Covington led the way with 20 points and six rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting. Michael Carter-Williams also chipped in 14 points and nine assists in 38 minutes.

The Nets go up against the Charlotte Hornets, Saturday at 7:00pm.

Injury note: Brook Lopez (back) and Mirza Teletovic (hip).

Quarter by quarter summary:

First quarter ... It didn't take much time for this game to look ugly. The Nets and 76ers were going back and forth at an extremely sluggish pace with no legitimate scoring threats for either teams. The Nets were either trailing or tied for most of the way, but a 10-1 run to end the quarter brought them to their lead of 22-18. Mason Plumlee, who started in place for Brook Lopez, was off to a good start with six points and five rebounds.

Second quarter ... While the Nets hoped to carry the momentum in the second, they did the exact opposite and allowed the 76ers to outscore them 27-22, despite holding the Sixers to 40% shooting and just eight points in the paint. It got uglier. The Nets turned the ball over 10 times, while the Sixers turned it over 13 times.

On a positive note, Mason Plumlee was soaring. With a few emphatic dunks/alley-oops, Plumlee was one of the few noticeable Nets' players with a heartbeat. He finished the half with 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. For Philly, Robert Covington led the way with 12 points and Michael Carter-Williams with 11.

Score at the half: 76ers 45, Nets 44.

Third quarter ... The Nets played considerably better in the quarter, outscoring the Sixers 19-15 to regain the lead and head into the fourth quarter playing well. Mason Plumlee continued to display his athleticism. He headed into the fourth quarter with a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. The only other Net in double figures was Alan Anderson with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.

Behind a strong defensive effort, the Nets were up 63-60 heading into the final quarter. And by strong defensive effort, I mean the abysmal 32% shooting from Philadelphia.

Fourth quarter ... The Nets held the Sixers scoreless the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, while they jumped out to a 10-0 run and grasped a 13-point lead. It was their largest of the night. The 76ers missed on eight consecutive shots before hitting a three to halt the Nets' run.

The Nets went on to outscore the 76ers 23-10 in the fourth quarter.

Final score: Nets 88, 76ers 70.

For more on the Philadelphia 76ers, check them out at Liberty Ballers.

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