Brooklyn Nets: Adversity Makes Early Visit to Flatbush

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Grizzlies  116

Nets        111

FINAL/OT

Hello, adversity, it's been a while ...

Flatbush is faced with its first dilemma of the 2020-2021 season.  Sunday's two-point loss at Charlotte somewhat exposed their general lack of physicality on the interior.  Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both registered 36 minutes each, and there are calls to begin staggering their minutes.  I say you plan accordingly while keeping the competition in mind, although I agree their deployment needs some reconsideration.   

The loss is secondary to the disheartening news regarding Spencer Dinwiddie, who in Sunday's game suffered a partially torn ACL of the right knee and will undergo surgery.

With Dinwiddie out, Irving and KD likewise did not play against the Grizzlies on Monday night at Barclays.  It was the second game of back-to-back nights and their third game in four days.

Memphis, who last season clinched a play-in berth, jumped out to a 32-23 lead against the short-handed and unsettled Nets in the first quarter.  But the Brooks regrouped and turned the tables with a 32-22 second-quarter effort for a one-point advantage at the half.  Caris Levert negated Dillon Brooks' three-pointer with the last possession floater for the lead.  

With 1:44 left in the fourth quarter, LeVert's shot from three gives Brooklyn a 106-104 lead.  But LeVert, in the closing seconds, would miss his final two attempts.

Into over time, they go ...

Memphis doubled-up on Flatbush in the extra session for the win, 10 to 5.

In the final minutes of the fourth, Coach Nash kept DeAndre Jordan on the floor; he blocked a shot and committed a turnover.  He had four blocks and four turnovers for the game, scoring four points and securing nine rebounds in 30 minutes.  Jarrett Allan, after playing a season-high 25 minutes against Charlotte, was back down to 22 minutes.  He still managed a game-high fifteen rebounds and eight points.

Caris LeVert tied for a game-high 28 points in 38 minutes.  He was 12/29 from the floor but just 2/9 from the arc.  Getting the start, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot was second on the team with 21 points in 40 minutes.  Joe Harris played a game-high 42 minutes, with fourteen points and 2/4 from the arc.

Chris Chiozza (welcome back) led the bench effort with four assists and fourteen points but posted a minus-9 in 27 minutes.  Landry Shamet, who will also be seeing more minutes, had three steals and five points in 24 minutes.  

There's no hiding a bad start by Taurean Prince.  He scored nine with five rebounds in 19 minutes.  After starting the first three games 1/11 from the field, he was 2/8 against Memphis, making him 3/19 (15.7%) through four games.

• Next: home-and-home vs. Atlanta Hawks.