Brooklyn Nets: Caris LeVert Strides and Glides to Game Winning Basket

From the desk of:  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

BATTLE OF THE BOROUGHS

FRIDAY

Knicks   105

Nets       107

FINAL

Brooklyn Nets: After Season Opening loss at Detroit, Flatbush opens Barclays Center with victory over cross-river rivals.

Brooklyn's home opener is a proverbial layup ...

Friday night at Barclays Center; game is tied with 15.9 second left in the fourth; Nets possession; Caris LeVert with the ball.  He dribbles to the top of the key, squares up against Tim Hardaway, then drives to the basket.  LeVert's lay-up attempt drops in with one second left on the clock.  Knicks assume possession.  After a full time out, Hardaway launches a three-point attempt from DeKalb Avenue, that misses.  And the Brooklyn Nets win their first game of the new season.

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP 

Hard Knox Loss at Brooklyn 

After taking a 57-50 lead over their cross-river rival into halftime, they regress in the third, but recover in time to outscore the Knicks 33-29 in the final session.  Flatbush finishes 49.3% from the floor, and 40% from three-point range.  They overwhelm the Knicks on the glass by a 55-36 margin, and prove better at ball distribution with a 22-14 edge is assists.  However, 22 turnovers very nearly becomes Brooklyn's undoing.  The Knicks commit just three turnovers all game.

Four of five Nets starters score in double-digits.  While Rodions Kurucs' eleven points and Spencer Dinwiddie's ten both off the bench makes five players in double-digits overall.

D'Angelo Russell scores 15-points, and ties Dinwiddie for team lead with six assists.

Try as they might, the New Yorkers have no answer for Caris LeVert who leads the team with a career high 28-points (10/11 from the line).  In fact, Levert's five rebounds are more than any Knicks player.

Jarrett Allen and Enes Kanter go toe to toe as each register double-doubles.  Kanter leads the floor with 29-points, and secures ten rebounds.  Allen answers with 15-points and leads all players with eleven rebounds.  Ed Davis adds another ten boards in just 14-minutes off the bench.

All that being said, scoring was never really an issue, right?  The Nets now own a minus/one differential after two games:

• Nets - 207 points.
• Opponents - 208 points.

Just saying ...

Off to Detroit.