Second-half adjustments on defense allowed the Nets to escape American Airlines Center with a 113-109 win on Monday. While the playoffs are well out of reach, Brooklyn continues to show grit.
“We’re still showing that we want to play and want to win and want to be here,” Jalen Wilson said. “And I think it’s always cool to get road wins. You’re in a place where no one wants you to win, nor is it in your favor, and we just find a way to win.”
The Nets were outscored 32-14 in the paint through two quarters of action, and had no answer for Anthony Davis, who scored a team-high 10 points for Dallas in the first half on 4-for-5 shooting. On Monday, Brooklyn trailed 63-58 at halftime. Davis scored just 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting when the Mavericks visited Brooklyn a week prior.
“He was going half speed… He was like… He was chilling,” Nic Claxton said following the Nets’ 19-point loss to Dallas last week. “I’ve played against him a lot and he wasn’t being super physical and like being in the paint. He was really just hitting his middys, getting to his spots. He was kind of coasting to me. He was getting his legs back under him.”
However, Monday’s second half was a different story. After giving up 63 points in the paint in the first half, the Nets surrendered just 24 over the final two quarters. Head coach Jordi Fernandez credited Claxton’s strong defensive effort on Davis, which made him less efficient. Davis made just one field goal in the second half and took only five shots.
Also, in the second half, the Nets had 10 fastbreak points and Dallas had none. The Mavericks committed just five turnovers, but Brooklyn took advantage and turned them into seven points — a marginal yet critical edge in a game that featured 16 ties and 19 lead changes. Dallas was also limited to 40.9% shooting in the second half compared to 54.8% in the first half.
“I think our defense in the second half, allowing 46 points, that’s the way you find wins in the NBA,” Fernandez said.
Drew Timme, who signed a two-year deal with the Nets last Friday, has also continued to impress Fernandez in limited action. The Richardson, TX native scored just nine points in his homecoming performance, but did it on a 50% clip, added three rebounds, one assist and one block, and showcased strong defensive instincts around the basket.
“He made big plays,” Fernandez said. “He was vertical at the rim three times. He had a block at the rim, too, and that defense helped us. And if you look at the offense, eight turnovers for the game, that’s how you give yourself a chance to win again, taking care of the ball. It was great… So, great performance as a team.”
