BROOKLYN NETS

Three in a row! All hail Caris! The Nets beat the Nuggets!

Ok, before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s recap how we got here.

The deciding moments came with under a minute left and the Nets down by two. Caris LeVert drove and dished to a rolling Jarrett Allen who slammed it through the hoop for a quick two points.

With the game tied, the Nets needed another chance, and they got it on the other end of the floor. Nikola Jokic took the matchup against Allen, who played strong defense, to force a travel. With 22 seconds left, the Nets found themselves with the ball again.

On the final possession, LeVert dribbled as he watched the clock tick down. He drove past his defender and floated it up, a game-winner! That shot gave Denver its first home loss of the season and third loss overall. More importantly, it brought the Nets to .500 (6-6) on the season.

Tonight, the Brooklyn Nets played the first of what is likely to be the hardest two games they will play this entire season. A back-to-back on the road against the two top teams of the Western Conference.

With that said, the Nets came ready to battle. While the Denver Nuggets play at a high elevation, the Nets were shooting at one, hitting 7-of-13 in the first quarter, mainly from three. While the Nets did not continue to shoot above 50 percent from three, it was enough to give them a double-digit lead early in the contest.

The intense defense that was played during the past two blowouts carried over against the Nuggets.

.@Dloading making it happen on both ends 🔒 pic.twitter.com/IaepVE6Tgx — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 10, 2018

The starters played tenacious defense, particularly D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett, who both came up with multiple deflections and takeaways. But the defense wasn’t as tight when the bench came in, and the Nuggets threatened to come back and take the lead during an extended 13-4 run.

Yet, Jarrett had something to say about that.

The Nets’ increased defensive focus is perhaps the most encouraging facet of their current win streak. This manifested itself tonight in the form of six steals and seven blocks in the first half alone.

The Nuggets stormed out of the half to make the game tight as the Nets struggled to find the same success from beyond-the-arc as they did in the first half. With over three minutes left in the third quarter, the Nuggets took the lead for the first time. However, with Jokic on the bench due to foul trouble, the Nets were able to come back and retake the lead going into the fourth.

Jokic still made his presence felt this game, dropping 37 points and grabbing 21 rebounds. He was the primary reason the Nuggets had the advantage in both total rebounds and points scored in the paint. He was especially difficult to contain after Ed Davis fouled out early in the fourth quarter, as well.

The lead was constantly changing in the fourth quarter, and the tempo was affected by constant trips to the free throw line.

As Brooklyn battled for the lead, it took advantage of the chances the team got, and LeVert is continuing to grow his star.

Golden State, you’re next.