A balanced attack and emphasis on defense led the Brooklyn Nets to a 100-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers during their most recent home game Wednesday at Barclays Center.
The win evened the Nets record at 4-4, but it was far from pretty. It was a low-scoring affair as both teams struggled from the field and the three-point line, with the Clippers shooting just 22.2% for the game from deep.
Brooklyn totaled just 13 points in the first quarter, led by Cam Thomas who scored 6 points in the opening frame. In the first quarter, Brooklyn shot 27.3% from the field and 10% from the 3-point line. Clippers guard Paul George paced the Clippers in the opening quarter with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
In the second quarter, neither team shot above 40% from the field. Both teams were perfect from the free-throw line, with the Nets going 4-4 and the Clippers, 7-7 from the stripe. Thomas continued leading the Nets scoring in the first half, netting 14 points on 6-11 shooting, while Paul George led the Clippers with 17 points at the break. The Clippers went into intermission ahead, 49-46.
The Nets fans at Barclays booed new Clipper guard James Harden every time he touched the ball. Harden previously played for the Nets, but landed a spot on the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022. After that, he landed in Los Angeles to play for the Clippers this season.
Brooklyn scored 27 points in both the third and fourth quarters, while the Clippers scored 22 points in both the third and fourth quarters. It wasn’t clear if the woeful scoring was a result of great defense or terrible shooting by both teams.
The game was tight when the Nets went on a 9-2 run at the 9:00 mark of the fourth quarter, which put the game out of reach and sealed the low-scoring victory for the Nets.
Nets guard Thomas suffered a right ankle sprain in the third quarter. He left the game and did not return. The Nets clearly missed Thomas, as Brooklyn barely cracked triple-digit points for their lowest output of the season. Day’Ron Sharpe also was effective off the bench, notching a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
All-Star Clippers forward Kahwi Leonard had a quiet, low-impact night for the Clippers. He scored just 17 points on 7-16 shooting and never found a shooting rhythm for the game.
Brooklyn reserve guard Lonnie Walker IV had a career-high 21 points but didn’t total a single assist and only grabbed one rebound. Ben Simmons sat out with hip soreness and Nic Claxton is still out with a left ankle strain.
