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Westbrook’s late bucket tops Nets in tight finish, 109-108

By Anthony Puccio
Brooklyn Nets v Oklahoma City Thunder Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images

The Nets continue to push the heart rates of fans all around Brooklyn. This time, though, hearts were broken.

It’s become a daily “thing“ for the Nets. Or as we call it around here: Nets Daily. (rim shot).

Brooklyn and Oklahoma City played a streaky game throughout. The Nets controlled the tempo for most of the game, but OKC owned a one-point lead with less than a minute left.

It was Spencer Dinwiddie time.

Dinwiddie took the ball hard to the hole and laid it home with his left hand. The Nets led 108-107 with 7.8 seconds left. That’s 7.8 seconds too much for Russell Westbrook, who hit a contested layup of his own on the following drive.

Dinwiddie time again. Only, this time it didn’t happen. He was forced into a tough fadeaway 3-pointer with three seconds left and Oklahoma City defeated the Nets, 109-108.

Problem is the Nets led by as many as 15, shot 16-of-38 from 3-point and owned a 15-point advantage off the bench.

It wasn’t enough. For OKC, they extended their win-streak to five and for the Nets, their two-game win-streak was snapped.

They haven’t won three straight all season.

The question entering this game was how the Nets would cope with the three-headed monster of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.

While George went off for 18 in the first half, the Nets hit 10 3-pointers and turned the ball over just four times. Dinwiddie hit three 3-pointers, Joe Harris hit three and Allen Crabbe hit two. They owned a 12-point lead at half following a 33-17 second quarter advantage.

Oklahoma City took little time to answer, or at least it looked that way. They went on a 12-0 early in the second half and cut the deficit down to three, but the Nets answered with a 15-3 extended run of their own and negated OKC’s momentum.

D’Angelo Russell scored seven points in the quarter, and the Nets led 85-74 entering the fourth, in large part due to their bench.

Insert: Raymond Felton. The former Knick scored 10 straight points in the first two minutes of the fourth and cut the deficit down to five. Then, Patrick Patterson hit two consecutive 3-pointers, Westbrook hit a bank-shot and this one was all knotted at 95 apiece, 6:50 left.

… The rest is history.

The Nets shot 6-of-20 from three in the second half. They assisted on 27 of 37 field goals and had six different players in double figures.

Joe Harris led the way with 19 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point and 7-of-10 from the field. Dinwiddie was solid again with 13 points and seven assists, while Jarrett Allen finished with a double double – 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, his first.

For OKC, Russell Westbrook went off for 32 points, George with 28. Anthony chipped in 10, but Raymond Felton was the difference maker with 14 points on the night – 10 coming in the fourth.

IT IS WHAT IT IS...

He has a point...

What does Spencer think?

2368

HEY, JOE (JIMI HENDRIX VOICE)

Entering Wednesday, Joe Harris was averaging 10.3 points on 47.7 percent shooting and 39.0 percent from 3-point range, all career-highs. He’s shooting a team-high 39 percent from 3-point and has become Brooklyn’s most consistent player. You know what you’re going to get from him every night. Double figures in 10 of the last 11.

Harris scored 11 of his 19 in the first half, falling just two short of tying his career-high. He did tie a career-high in 3-pointers made, however, with five. What more can you say? He’s become one of the many players that have blossomed under Kenny Atkinson.

***

The Nets are now 18-30 on the season — three games short of tying their total from last season. As Sarah Kustok pointed out on the YES telecast, 10 of the last 12 games have been decided by six points or less.

They’re out here competing.

For a different perspective, head on over to Loud City.

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