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Lopez puts home game-winner over Denver in OT, 121-120

By Anthony Puccio
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Nets started a wildfire in the very cold Rocky Mountains of Denver, Colorado.

Prior to the "Circus road-trip," the Nets had won just four games on the road. They've won three in the past week and a half!

The latest came against the Denver Nuggets, 121-120, in the sixth game of their franchise record road-trip. It was a game-winning tip-in from Brook Lopez with 0.4 second remaining in overtime that did it.

It was the second time in less than a month the Nets crushed the Nuggets hopes in the last second.. The Nets  beat the Nuggets 105-104 in Brooklyn on February 8 when Joe Johnson hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from well behind the arc.

But wait there's more! The Nets broke season-high's for assists (18), field goal percentage (62.5%) and matched a season-high for three's (nine) in a half.

The Nets stand at 18-44 on the season and 4-4 since the All-Star break. Considering how things have gone this season, it's nice to see the Nets finally playing better. Oh yeah, and they're spoiling the Celtics' chance at getting a top-3 pick with every win.

It didn't look like it would end up that way, though, as the Nuggets forced four turnovers in the first three minutes of the game and jumped out on a 10-2 run to start.

Initial thought: "Here we go again."

But then Wayne Ellington hit a three. And then Bojan Bogdanovic hit one. Then he hit another. And another. Before you knew it, Bogdanovic had nailed three three-pointers and the Nets were on top after a ferocious 31-point quarter.

With his 92nd three-pointer, Bogdanovic surpassed his total from last season (91 in 78 games) in just his 62nd game. He scored 13 of his 17 point total in the first half. Behind his lead, the Nets, who average six three-pointers per game, hit nine in the first half on a season-high 18 assists in the half.

But the Nuggets weren't going away and the Nets didn't play much defense. Following a 32-point second quarter, the Nuggets outscored the Nets 33-25 in the third quarter and tied this game up at 90 apiece heading into the fourth quarter.

As Bogdanovic grew quiet in the second half, Markel Brown filled in his spot and played a huge role in the Nets picking up the win. Brown scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, a career-high, along with eight assists (career-high), six rebounds (season-high) on 3-of-4 from three (ties a career-high).

Brown's contributions filled the void of not only Bogdanovic, but also Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young - both whom combined for only two points in the fourth quarter. The two squandered opportunities to go up by three with less than a minute remaining.

Down one, Emmanuel Mudiay (25 points) went right at Shane Larkin and converted an and-one foul. The Nets trailed by two and Bojan Bogdanovic got fouled from three-point range, but hit two of three. The Nuggets failed to capitalize and free basketball was on the way.

Still, it would come down to which team would hit the big bucket. It didn't look like it would be the Nets. With less than a minute remaining, Thaddeus Young missed an open layup and Brook Lopez turned it over down low.

But FINALLY, they made up for it. Shane Larkin attacked the hole and missed the layup, but Brook Lopez tipped it in with .4 seconds remaining to win the game.

Game. Set. Match.

For the first time in franchise history, the Nets have won three straight AT Denver.

The Nets finished the night 13-of-22 from three (59 percent) off 32 assists and just 13 turnovers. Shane Larkin logged 23 straight minutes down the stretch and dished a team-high eight assists.

The bench: 53 points on 21-of-40 shooting.

Amidst the bench, 10-day signee Sean Kilpatrick also played a crucial role and scored a season-high 12 points, his previous high coming WITH the Nuggets. After the loss to the Lakers, Tony Brown mentioned how he likes Kilpatrick's energy. The 26-year old has the ability to turn up the jets in the open floor and has shown the capability to knock down an open three. He has two games left on his 10-day contract.

The hero of the night, Brook Lopez, finished with 20 points and five assists -- marking the first time in his career that he's finished with 4+ assists in three straight games. Thaddeus Young chipped in 16 points.

Lopez for the win...

Next up: Saturday night at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

For more on the Denver Nuggets, check them out at Denver Stiffs.

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