Jordi Fernandez’s Brooklyn Nets outlasted the Chicago Bulls 112-109 on Friday in a game that was made difficult in the fourth quarter when Chicago rallied from a 20-point deficit to take the lead in the final seconds.
The Nets (12-27) faced the final minute of the game with a 108-102 lead, but three consecutive turnovers allowed the Bulls (19-22) to take a 108-109 lead with 11 seconds left.
Perfect time-out and cold blood
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Fernandez called timeout and Michael Porter Jr. gave the Brooklyn Nets their lead back with five seconds left on the clock.
On the next possession, the Bulls squandered their opportunity:
Drake Powell stole the ball and Noah Clowney scored from the free throw line.
“In the NBA, there is no sure-fire advantage. Teams always respond.”
“At the end of the day, it’s how you react that matters.”
“The guys kept their composure, scored when they needed to and made key defenses,” Fernandez said at a press conference.
“The last three games were winnable and were very even, but they didn’t go our way.”
“You still learn, even though it hurts. I’m proud of the guys for the extra effort they gave tonight,” he added.
Reacting with offense and lethal three-pointers
The Brooklyn Nets came into the matchup with the Bulls having lost their last five games:
Their worst streak since they lost seven in the season opener.
Fernandez’s team, second to last in the East, dominated Chicago for most of the game -leaving them to just 40 points in the first half.
However, they saw the victory practically slip away in the final moments.
In the NBA, no lead is safe
Jordi Fernández
Porter Jr. was yet another night’s leading scorer for the Brooklyn Nets with 26 points and 7 rebounds.
Clowney signed a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Nic Claxton snared 14 rebounds and Brooklyn’s bench contributed 48 points.
The Brooklyn Nets dominated rebounding (47-41) and showed great shooting from the perimeter, scoring 19 of their 40 three-pointers (47.5%).
For the Bulls, Nikola Vucevic finished with 19 points, Ayo Dosunmu with 18 and Coby White with 17. Jalen Smith had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
With information from EFE
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