Nets Lose More Than A Game In Minnesota
After dropping a game in Oakland to the defending champs, the Brooklyn Nets were looking to end a four-game road trip with a win.
Instead, the Brooklyn Nets lost, and they would end up losing far more than a game in their one and only visit to Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Timberwolves got past the Brooklyn Nets 120-113 on Monday night at the Target Center to improve to 5-0 at home this season.
The story coming from this game isn’t the loss on the court, for Brooklyn, but rather the loss of the player.
The Brooklyn Nets lost their rising guard and leading scorer Caris LeVert at the end of the second quarter to a serious right leg injury that left players on the court with their stomaches turning.
LeVert went skying for a shot block on Timberwolves’ guard Josh Okogie but would come down awkwardly, holding his hands to his head in heartbreak as he knew the extent of the injury.
He would be stretchered off the court to cheers by the Target Center crowd as they acknowledged the 24-year-old guard, who was having a breakout season to this point.
The Minnesota Timberwolves got a balanced offensive attack out of their starting lineup as all five guys in the starting lineup finished in double figures.
Three players would finish with 20+ points as Karl-Anthony Towns helped guide Minnesota in a big way with 25 points and 21 rebounds as they played their first game after trading away disgruntled forward Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The backcourt duo of the resurgent Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague gave Brooklyn fits with their pick and roll action and ability to attack the paint as they had little answer for either defensively.
The Nets, who were without starting center Jarrett Allen due to an illness, once again lost out on the rebounds as Minnesota out-rebounded them 52-42 on the night.
Brooklyn remarkably would secure a season-high 19 offensive rebounds minus their center, but all for naught as they shot only 39.6 percent as a team while Minnesota shot 52.5 percent from the field.
D’Angelo Russell poured in a season-high 31 points, hitting a career-high and Nets franchise record nine 3-pointers in the loss.
His huge night from distance allowed Brooklyn to hang around in this one until the fourth quarter, where the game would finally get away from them.
The bench provided somewhat of a spark, but not nearly enough as both DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe combined to shoot 5-for-17 from the field.
Brooklyn failed to finish this road trip strong after two wins to open the trip in Phoenix and Denver, a disappointing reality as they will now turn their attention to trying to find success with their leading scorer likely lost for the rest of the season.
The Brooklyn Nets will return home to host the Miami Heat on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center as they look to snap a two-game skid.
What are your thoughts on Brooklyn’s loss in Minnesota tonight? Leave your comments below!