Nets reaction: Brooklyn erases a 21-point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets

The Nets had not won a game since April 29th entered Saturday’s game riding their longest losing streak of the season and things were only getting as they ran into the Denver Nuggets. In the first half, Michael Porter Jr. was adding insult to injury. He scored 21 points in the first two periods to lead his squad to a 71-46 lead and he was one of the four players in double-digits for the Nuggets at the half.

Kevin Durant was the Nets’ leading scorer at this point with 16 points, but their downfall had to do with so many factors. They were not getting up enough shots because Denver had 46 shots after the second quarter while Brooklyn only had 36. They were sloppy with ball, racking up 9 turnovers. The Nuggets capitalized and scored 16 points off of those turnovers. And last but not least, they were also shooting poorly from behind the arc at 31%.

Brooklyn came out in the second half on a mission. The went 16-for-19 from the field in the third quarter to trim the deficit, but Denver stayed strong. They managed to keep the Nets at bay to go into the final quarter up seven still.

The fourth quarter was bound to be a thrilling finish. The Nets opened up the quarter without their two superstars and it didn’t matter. They marched forward and cut the deficit to as few as as three before Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving checked in.

In dramatic fashion, Kevin Durant (33 PTS, 11 REBS, 7 ASTS), Kyrie Irving (31 PTS), and Blake Griffin (20 PTS, 4 3PM) played key roles down the stretch both offensively and defensively to not only tie this game, but to also capture the lead. It was until the final minutes of this battle where the defense on Nikola Jokic became a priority in order to win this game and the entire team stepped up to do so. Their efforts was enough to will Brooklyn to the 125-119 victory after trailing by as many as 21 points.

The Nets bounced back after a terrible start

After trailing by as many as 21 points, the Brooklyn Nets rallied in the second half. It took an almost perfect third quarter offensively and a huge outing from Blake Griffin in that period to even give the Nets a chance. This was looking like Brooklyn's fifth straight loss, but after finishing the comeback, they find themselves in perfect position to get back on the right track. Especially with the emergence of a returning James Harden next week.

Where is Tyler Johnson?

Tyler Johnson, once again, logged 0 minutes for the Nets. Steve Nash said before the game that the team "believes" in Johnson and his abilities; however, they want to give players that they aren't really familiar with a chance to see what they are made of. No one knows how long this experiment is going to last. We do know though that this may be a reason why this squad has been on this slump.

Jeff Green gets it done no matter what

Whether it's starting or coming off the bench, Jeff Green has got the job done no matter what. Versus the Nuggets, Green came off the bench to drop 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and he grabbed five boards in 25 minutes. He also went 3-for-4 from downtown. One thing that Steve Nash can always count on when his stars are out is that Jeff Green will be ready. He may not have his shot going, he may not get that signature poster he's been known for this season, but somehow and someway Green is going to find a way to impact the game.

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