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A late fourth quarter comeback wasn't enough and the Nets summer league entry went down, 81-73, to Memphis in Orlando.
After being down by as many as 17 in the second half, the Nets brought it to within seven with a little more than two minutes left, but a 6-3 run by the Grizzlies and Brooklyn went down, 81-73.
The Nets got good performances from Cory Jefferson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Cliff Alexander and Ryan Boatright. Jefferson, who looked noticeably stronger, finished iwth 13 points and eight rebounds, the only Net in double figures.
RHJ did a bit of stat stuffing with nine points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and only 1 turnover, in 25:08 minutes played. With less than a minute left, Hollis Jefferson showed he can shoot, at least a bit, hitting an off balance three under pressure.
Alexander, who played 18 minutes, had eight points and two rebounds and was 4-of-6, with two spectacular dunks. Markel Brown, who played much of the game at the point, had a miserable outing, shooting 1-of-7 overall, 1-or-3 from deep as well as five turnovers to go with a single assist. Earl Clark had as many turnovers, four, as points.
For the Grizzlies the two best players were 2014 draftees - Jordan Adams who finished with 20 and Jarnell Stokes who had 16. Memphis actually shot worse than the Nets for the game --39.7 percent to 42.6 percent-- but went to the line almost twice as often, canning 27 of 33 free throws. Deep shooting was also a problem for the Nets as they made only 6-of-24.
The Nets play again Sunday against the Heat in the second of their five games over the next week.
- Grizzlies at Nets - Recap - Josh Cohen - Orlando Magic
- Grizzlies 81, Nets 73 - Boxscore - NBA.com
- Grizzlies vs. Nets - July 4, 2015 - Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
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Rapid Reaction: Nets lose to the Grizzlies 81-73, five post-game reactions - Benny Nadeau
- Kevin Durant’s 1st concern before he thinks about free agency - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
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Summer League: Nets vs. Grizzlies (Gallery) - Brooklyn Nets