For a second, it regarded just like the Nets had pulled off one thing unbelievable.
Egor Dëmin had simply drilled his fifth 3-pointer of the night time, a contested, off-balance bomb over Wendell Carter Jr. to place Brooklyn forward late in time beyond regulation. Barclays Middle was buzzing. Michael Porter Jr. had carried the Nets all night time. The comeback was full.
Or so it appeared.
Paolo Banchero answered with the ultimate blow, burying a contested trey over Porter by contact to steal a 104-103 time beyond regulation win for the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night time. The loss dropped Brooklyn to 11-23 and wasted one in every of Porter’s greatest nights as a Internet.
Porter completed with 34 factors and tied a career-high with eight 3-pointers, however significant assist didn’t arrive till the sport was already hanging by a thread.
Dëmin scored all 10 of Brooklyn’s factors in time beyond regulation, ending with 18 in 32 minutes. Banchero led Orlando with 30 factors, 14 rebounds and 6 assists, none greater than the final 3-pointer he made.
The chaos of the end overshadowed a recreation that spent a lot of the night time trending in the wrong way.
Brooklyn opened with a reshuffled beginning lineup that raised eyebrows earlier than the tip. The Nets began Porter, Dëmin, Ziaire Williams, Noah Clowney and Day’Ron Sharpe, with Nic Claxton coming off the bench in his return from a two-game absence. Terance Mann was accessible however didn’t begin, a notable resolution given his veteran ball-handling tasks.
Claxton checked in alongside Danny Wolf on the five-minute mark of the primary quarter because the Nets started mixing and matching early. Each groups went deep into their benches, and the opening interval mirrored it. Pictures didn’t fall. Rhythm was onerous to seek out. Orlando shot under 40%, however Tristan da Silva scored 9 early factors. Porter was already cooking, pouring in 12 to maintain Brooklyn afloat. A Cam Thomas driving floater with 2.8 seconds left gave the Nets a 23-21 lead after one.
Orlando took management within the second. The Magic shot 50% within the quarter and matched it from deep, with Banchero and Carter asserting themselves inside. Noah Penda added six off the bench, whereas Brooklyn struggled to generate clear appears to be like or supply a lot resistance defensively.
By halftime, the numbers have been ugly. The Nets shot 16-for-43 general, went 6-for-25 from deep, completed with 9 assists and 9 turnovers and have been crushed on the glass 29-19. Exterior of Porter’s 18 factors, no Internet had greater than 5. Orlando already had three gamers in double figures. Someway, Brooklyn trailed by solely 5.
Mann didn’t play within the first half, and remained on the bench all through the sport.
Nothing flipped after the break. Orlando stayed in management within the third, leaning on Banchero, who went 4-for-5 within the interval. Brooklyn shot under 40% once more and dedicated 5 extra turnovers on an evening it completed with 21. Porter entered the fourth with 26 factors and was nonetheless the one Internet in double figures till Thomas obtained there on a free throw with 40 seconds left. The Nets trailed 79-64 heading to the fourth.
Then got here the surge.
Brooklyn outscored Orlando, 29-14, within the closing body. Porter knocked down back-to-back 3s to chop the deficit to eight. He attacked the rim, earned free throws and stored pushing. A Dëmin trey. A Clowney jumper. Well timed stops. Abruptly, the Nets have been inside one with simply over a minute left.
It regarded like Clowney had given Brooklyn the lead with 23.3 seconds left, however the basket was waved off for interference on Sharpe. Out of an Orlando timeout, a defensive breakdown led to a Silva dunk to push the Magic again up three.
Porter missed the Nets’ first look, however Sharpe grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it to Dëmin, who buried the most important shot of his younger profession — not less than at that time — to tie it with 4.9 seconds left. Banchero missed on the buzzer, sending the sport to time beyond regulation, Brooklyn’s first additional session since March of final season.
Dëmin took over from there. A 3 off a leap ball win by Sharpe. One other after Carter’s runout dunk. Ten factors in 5 minutes.
And nonetheless, it wasn’t sufficient.
The Nets are again at Barclays Middle on Friday to face the Los Angeles Clippers.
