NEW YORK _ Joe Harris was on a defensive island, and in a moment's notice, he was placing the ball in the basket.
With the Hornets' Malik Monk looking to set himself up for a potential winning shot with the score tied in the final seconds of the second overtime period, the guard crossed himself up and lost the ball. Harris scooped it up and drove to the other side of the court for the winning layup with 3.4 seconds left as the Nets defeated the Hornets, 134-132, in double overtime Wednesday evening at Barclays Center.
Spencer Dinwiddie, who willed the Nets down the stretch, finished with a game-high 37 points and Harris added 27. Kemba Walker finished with 35 points for the Hornets and Jeremy Lamb added 31. The back-and-forth matchup featured 22 ties and 18 lead changes, as the Nets escaped with their ninth victory in their last 10 games.
Dinwiddie stood on the foul line with 6.5 seconds remaining in regulation, knowing exactly what he needed to do.
After the Nets won a jump ball with 8.4 seconds remaining, Dinwiddie was fouled on a turnaround 3-pointer after grabbing the loose ball, with Brooklyn trailing by three points. He went on to hit all three foul shots, as the Nets tied the score at 113.
Following three missed free throws in the final 3.6 seconds _ one from the Hornets' Walker and two from DeMarre Carroll _ the two teams went into overtime tied at 114 at the Barclays Center in front of 14,309 Wednesday evening.
After a basket by Lamb gave the Hornets a one-point lead in overtime, Dinwiddie was fouled in the paint with 22.7 seconds left. He hit one of two shots, tying the score at 121. Following a strong defensive possession for the Nets, Brooklyn secured the rebound with 0.6 seconds left, with one more chance to win in the first overtime period, but Dinwiddie couldn't finish a lob pass near the basket as the game went into a second overtime.
Carroll had a chance to win the game in regulation for the Nets, was fouled in the backcourt after getting a rebound off Kemba Walker's missed foul shot, as Brooklyn trailed by one. Carroll made the first foul shot with 1.2 seconds remaining, before missing the second, but getting another chance due to a lane violation. But Carroll also missed the ensuing attempt, sending the game into overtime.
Before Wednesday's game, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said Walker wasn't the type of player you want to be playing against in a tight game, and the Bronx native proved why in the closing minutes.
Throughout a back-and-forth fourth quarter, Walker was the one making the game-defining plays when the Hornets needed him most.
Walker, who entered the game averaging 24.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game, hit back-to-back 3-pointers with less than four minutes remaining in the game, dancing in celebration after both shots, including a dagger from beyond the arc to give the Hornets a 104-96 lead with 3:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Walker had 13 points in the fourth quarter.
"He's obviously having not a good season, a great season, so he's a big area of focus for us," Atkinson said before the game. ... "We can throw multiple guys at him but it's a heck of a challenge. Kemba's thing is he's just a winning basketball player ... he's a tough, tough player. Having a heck of a year and we have our hands full."
But the Nets didn't surrender in the closing minutes, as Dinwiddie hit a 3-pointer with 3:01 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut Charlotte's lead to 104-99.
Dinwiddie drove the lane for a layup and then found Rodions Kurucs in the corner in the following possession for a 3-pointer as the Nets tied the score at 104 with 1:47 left in the game.
On the following possession, Harris was called for a foul on Lamb's 3-point attempt with 1:26 remaining in the game, and the guard went on to hit all three foul shots, taking a 107-104 lead for the Hornets.
On the ensuing possession, following a long offensive rebound giving the Nets a second chance, Dinwiddie found Harris, who hit a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the score at 107 with 1:13 left in the game.
Harris hit another 3 with 40.8 seconds left to tie it at 110, after Monk completed a 3-point play following a foul.
When Walker wasn't scoring, he was assisting in the game's final moments, as he found Marvin Williams in the corner after driving the lane with 18.5 seconds left in the game, giving the Hornets a 113-110 lead.
