The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Chicago Bulls 117-111. In a road game without their two best players, the Nets found a way to win. Spencer Dinwiddie took over as the main offensive weapon, and willed the Nets to a victory. It wasn’t always easy, but this Nets team found a way to win a much needed victory. The game started out in Brooklyn’s favor, as they outscored the Bulls 30-19 in the first quarter. Joe Harris was especially key in that first quarter (scoring 9 point), and the Nets were moving the ball especially well. However, everything they were doing well in the first quarter, they did wrong in the second. The Nets started turning the ball over, fouling, and saw their double digit lead disappear. The Nets were outscored 37-20 in the second quarter and found themselves down 6 heading into halftime. The Nets and Bulls played a pretty even third quarter, as the Nets outscored Chicago 24-22 in the quarter. Then Brooklyn really got their offense going in the 4th. Dinwiddie started to carry the Nets, and Brooklyn started to prove who was the superior team. The Nets outscored the Bulls 43-33 in the 4th and hit their free throws down the stretch to avoid a late Bulls comeback. Chicago couldn’t miss a three in the final minute, but the Nets didn’t miss a free throw which allowed them to stay ahead and win the game. This was a huge win for the Nets, as it gets their confidence back after a tough 2-3 road trip. Brooklyn returns home for a winnable stretch against the Pacers, Hornets and Kings before facing the Knicks at MSG in the second “Battle of NY” game of the season. The Nets can definitely get back to .500 over the next few games, and hopefully this win will help them get their mojo back.

Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets in scoring tonight, finishing with 24 points on 5-11 shooting. Dinwiddie was inserted into the starting lineup with Kyrie Irving out, and stepped up and played very well. Dinwiddie was the captain of the offense tonight and came up big for the Nets. Joe Harris had his best game of the season, finishing with 22 points and 8 assists. Joe recorded a career high in assists, and was a force to be reckoned with all night. Taurean Prince also had a nice game, finishing with 13 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 2-6 from deep. Prince is off to a pretty good start for this Nets team, and he had his normal 10+ point 5+ rebound effort. Lastly, Theo Pinson (10 points on 4-9 shooting) and Jarrett Allen (11 points and 7 rebounds) were key factors in the Nets victory.

Zach LaVine was superb for the Bulls tonight, finishing with 36 points on 11-24 shooting. LaVine couldn’t miss a three at the end of the game, and almost single handedly willed the Bulls to a victory. Wendell Carter Jr had a very nice game, finishing with 18 points and 14 rebounds. The Nets couldn’t box out Carter on the offensive glass, which allowed Carter to feast and cause a lot of second chance points for the Bulls. Lastly, Lauri Markkanen had a bounce back game tonight recording a double double (16 points and 10 rebounds). Markkanen hasn’t been himself this season thus far, and hopefully tonight was a step in the right direction for him.

What’s Next?

The Nets return home to face the Pacers on Monday night, while the Bulls remain home to face the Bucks Monday night.

#WeGoHard

(All photos via @BrooklynNets on Twitter)