Nets Fall to Thunder As a Result of Late-Game Heroics by Chris Paul
To start their four-game home stand the Nets lose 111-103 to the Thunder in OT in a close game. Brooklyn has now dropped seven straight.
The Thunder are now 6-1 in their last seven.
Although the Nets were unable to get their first win in nearly three weeks against the Thunder, they were more in this game than their previous six losses. However you can take that with a grain of salt if you ask the players.
“Every game we’ve had bright spots,” said Spencer Dinwiddie. “But we’re not in the business of moral victories at all so we would have loved to win this one for sure.”
However it’s worth noting that one area where the Nets looked like themselves before the losing streak started was with their scoring down low.
Over the last six games Brooklyn has only averaged 40 PPG in the paint, that’s 10 less points than their season average of 50.5 PPG. In this contest against the Thunder the Nets got back to their old ways and scored 56 down there. Oklahoma City is ranked 22nd in the league in points in the paint allowed per game, averaging 49.4.
Another positive takeaway for the Nets is that they kept this game closer than the rest of their losses. As a matter of fact this is the only game during their skid, besides their matchup against the Timberwolves, where they never let their opponent get a double-digit lead. In addition to that the Nets and Thunder split the quarters of regulation down the middle, two a piece.
The only problem is that it seemed as though the competitiveness stopped in regulation too. Brooklyn’s usual flaws as of late came back to haunt them as their offense fell flat in overtime. Joe Harris made the one and only shot that Brooklyn made, as they got outscored 10-2 in the extra period.
The Nets definitely had the chance to win this one, but weren’t able to close it out.
They can thank Chris Paul for that especially, who had 20 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“We played better tonight than we had. We had a good opportunity there to win, a chance at the end,” said Harris. “It was one of those situations where they made more plays in critical moments. Obviously they got the big time player in Chris [Paul], where he’s able to take over down the stretch, fourth quarter and overtime.”
