The Brooklyn Nets got it done on defense on Wednesday night, clamping down in the fourth quarter for a 107-97 win over the LA Lakers at Barclays Center.
Down 92-91 with 7:42 to play, the Nets held the Lakers to five points over the last half of the fourth quarter – and held the Lakers’ starters to three points in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Nets – who shot 38.4% on the night – found their clutch shooting, shooting 52.4% in the fourth quarter.
“At the end of the day it boiled down to the defensive end,” said Brook Lopez, who finished the game with 20 points and 7 rebounds, including 8 and 4 in the fourth quarter. “We knew we had to get stops and keep from fouling them and rebound more.”
The Nets out-rebounded the Lakers 17-7 in the fourth quarter and 61-49 on the night. The 61-boards were a season-high for the Nets and Trevor Booker’s 18 rebounds were an individual-high for the Nets this season.
“If we’re going to take a step, that’s where we need to take a step, defensively,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “In the end, we rebounded better and we were more physical. I think that’s a theme for us, physicality. Just in general I thought we were a more physical ball club.”
Bojan Bogdanovic (23 points), Sean Kilpatrick (22 points) and Lopez led the Nets offensively on Wednesday night, though Joe Harris (11 points) and Isaiah Whitehead (eight points) made key contributions in the fourth quarter. Harris served as a catalyst for the Nets defensively, while Whitehead served up six points and two assists before fouling out.
“We were debating on whether to take out or not,” Atkinson said. “We felt like we needed his competitiveness, his defense and a lucky decision on our part.”
Lou Williams led the Lakers with 16 points off the bench Wednesday, but no LA starter finished with more than 14 (Nick Young). The Lakers won the battle in the paint 48-44 and second-chance points 25-11, but the Nets owned the fast break 20-13.
As good as the Nets’ fourth-quarter defense was, their second-quarter clinic was not to be forgotten. The Nets held the Lakers to 13 points – a season-low for an opponent – on 4-of-19 shooting. Brooklyn took a 52-43 lead into the half, but let the Lakers back in the game in the third quarter, setting up one-point contest (76-75 Lakers) heading into the fourth.
“We just stayed together and really just kept our concentration and focus,” Lopez said. “There were lots of ups and downs and we weren’t at our best for the entirety of the game, but we fought through it.”
The Nets fought through adversity before the game even started, as Jeremy Lin was ruled inactive with back tightness. Lin had previously missed 17 games with a hamstring injury before returning against Houston on Monday.
The Nets now embark on a three-game road trip, beginning on Friday night in Orlando. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
