An all-time performance from Caris LeVert will fall in a defeat.
Getting the start for Kyrie Irving (out for personal reasons), LeVert scored 43 points, including 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, but his performance was not enough. The Nets lost, 115-110, falling to a .500 record after winning two games in a row.
The Grizzlies were without their two best players: reigning Rookie of the Year and dynamic point guard Ja Morant and budding young forward Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Nets fought back from a 22-point second-quarter deficit, led largely by LeVert, who scored 19 points in the third quarter, when he made all five of his 3-point attempts. But Brooklyn could not overcome its own carelessness. The Nets turned the ball over 19 times, including several costly turnovers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Brooklyn took a 104-102 lead with 4:36 remaining, but proceeded to go more than three-and-a-half minutes without another basket or field goal. The Grizzlies ran up a 111-104 lead in that time span, and the Nets never recovered.
Nets head coach Steve Nash opted to play veteran center DeAndre Jordan a large chunk of fourth-quarter minutes and did not call a timeout to sub in Jarrett Allen down the stretch.
Without Irving, Kevin Durant (health and safety protocol) and Spencer Dinwiddie (torn ACL), LeVert played the lead guard role. It was his third straight performance with at least 22 points, having lit up the Jazz and 76ers in games Durant did not play.
LeVert hit a crossover, side-step 3-pointer with under 15 seconds to go that cut the Grizzlies’ lead to three. That shot would prove too little, too late, as Memphis hit free throws down the stretch. The Nets botched an inbounds pass with just over five seconds left in regulation and never got a chance to cut into the deficit on the game’s final possession.
Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris came off the bench and scored 13 points, passing Richard Jefferson by making a 3-pointer in the 70th consecutive game. Taurean Prince scored 16 points and Allen finished with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists, but Brooklyn had no answer for Dillon Brooks (24 points) and Brandon Clarke (21 points). The Grizzlies’ bench also scored 44 points.
The Nets have two days off before returning to Brooklyn, where they host the Denver Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Nash said he expects Durant to return for that game if he continues to test negative for COVID-19. He also said he is unclear whether Irving will return to play in Sunday’s game.
