Defense was the key for the Nets as they topped the Cavaliers at Barclays Center last night, 104-95.
In front of a near sold out Brooklyn crowd, the Nets were able to play with a lot of energy throughout the entire contest. When it was all said and done they came away with one of their biggest wins this season.
Despite LeBron James dropping 30 points and Kevin Love providing 12 rebounds, the Nets were able to get the stops that they needed in order to come out on top. For Brooklyn, this was a total team effort, as Brook Lopez had 22 points and Shane Larkin added 16 points with 7 assists in his return to the starting lineup. The Nets had three other players that scored in double digits.
What helped the Nets stand out on Thursday night was that they played very physical with a lot of enerery. “We had a lot more fight than we’ve shown in the last couple of games,” interim coach Tony Brown told reporters. “More than anything, obviously, Brook led us down the stretch.”
Lopez has been the anchor for this Nets team and has been a steady force since the beginning of the season. Last night, he was dominant on the boards and he played with some great energy of the defensive side. Lopez has become the face of the franchise and games like last night show you why.
The Nets held a sizable ten point lead at the half, but James got the Cavs right back into the game with 15 points in the third quarter. James was dominant and nobody on Brooklyn could do anything to prevent him from getting to the rim.
On a night where King James hit his ten first shots and seemed like he was on pace for a record breaking night, none of his teammates could find ways to contribute. It seemed like the Cavs, who still have championship aspirations were a one man show. And the Nets were able to capitalize.
The story of this game was the fourth quarter where the Nets held the Cavaliers to just 12 points. They also prevented James from scoring at all in the final frame. Cleveland is the front runner in the east and it seemed like this game could be a cake walk for them. However, the stingy defense from Brooklyn was what set the tone at crunch time and it helped the Nets earn their 20th win of the season.
The action came on a night
Up Next for Brooklyn is a matchup at Barclays Center on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.
