Nets battled back from a deficit, only to see a late Grizzlies surge erase their lead and seal a heartbreaking defeat.
The Brooklyn Nets and Memphis Grizzlies faced off on Sunday evening with both team's star players out, as Brooklyn's first-time All-Star hopeful Michael Porter Jr. and 2-time All-Star Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant were sidelined.
Memphis appeared to have the upper hand from the outset, grabbing an early 16-point lead and taking a 34-23 lead into the second quarter. The Grizzlies' standout rookie Cedric Coward took control, scoring 13 points in the first frame on 5-for-6 shooting from the floor.
Brooklyn fought back in the second, as Tyrese Martin (17 points, 6-for-8 FG) and Day'Ron Sharpe (eight points, 13 rebounds, three assists, 4-for-7 FG) pulled the Nets within five points at the 6:50 mark.
Martin connected on his first four attempts from the field and three tries from three-point range for 11 early points, doing his best to make up for the lack of shooting usually provided by the prolific shot-maker Porter Jr. and for Noah Clowney's ugly 3-for-12 shooting half from the field for 10 points.
Even after a 27-27 second quarter, the Nets still trailed 61-50, as their lack of hustle on the boards and inability to get to the free throw line made things very difficult.
However, Brooklyn's rookie point guard Nolan Traoré gave Nets fans a few positives to take away, driving to the rim effectively, spraying the ball out to open shooters and contesting shot at the rim with excellent verticality, a few developments head coach Jordi Fernandez will certainly accept graciously.
The third quarter began, and the Nets came out of the halftime break inspired on defense, holding Memphis to just 16 points in the frame. Surprisingly enough, it was Danny Wolf taking the lead on that side of the floor, staying in front of quicker guards and making an impact on the defensive boards.
That third frame also belonged to Jalen Wilson, as he bombed two consecutive three-point hits on the left side of the floor to fully bring the Nets back and make it a 77-74 ballgame heading into the fourth quarter.
Wilson continued his heroics in the last 12 minutes, grabbing an offensive board for a putback layup to cut the Grizzlies' lead to 87-86, then splashing an impressive no-dip, catch-and-shoot three to give the Nets an 89-87 advantage with 7:01 remaining.
Their momentum did not stop there, as a few impossible Cam Thomas buckets and a top-of-the-key Terance Mann three-point hit gave Brooklyn a 98-90 lead.
Unfortunately, Memphis' Cam Spencer and Coward had a response in store. Back-to-back Spencer and Coward threes brought the lead down to 98-96, giving the Grizzlies their momentum right back.
Santi Aldama's floater and yet another Coward three-pointer off of a mad scramble undid all of the Nets' previous work, giving the Grizzlies a 101-98 lead with 58.7 seconds to go -- Timeout, Nets.
After the short break, Brooklyn's closing group decided to give the ice-cold Clowney free rein to attempt two awfully quick and contested three-point tries, both of which missed badly and give the Grizzlies a chance to ice it.
With 10.0 seconds left in the game, Jaren Jackson Jr. did just that, knocking down two clutch free throws to make it 103-98 Memphis and complete a 13-3 run with a smidge over two minutes left to storm right back. Fernandez decided not to use a timeout afterwards, effectively ending the game.
The Nets fell to 11-25 after what should have been a miraculous, come-from-behind story, but the Grizzlies walk away with an improbable victory of their own.