It was not expected to be an easy game in Brooklyn in spite of the Rockets’ 1-5 record going in. Prior to tonight, the Rockets had won 19 of their last 21 matchups against the Nets. 

It did, however, feel like a game that was very important for the young Nets to win.

The beginning of the game was chock-full of individual defensive mistakes that allowed the Rockets to get easy points and take an early seven-point lead. At the same time, the Nets’ guards had a clear objective — attack the paint. D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert took turns relentlessly driving into Clint Capela and earning buckets or free throws.

The Nets cleaned up their defense slightly and got into a groove offensively that allowed them to push their lead to 14 midway through the second quarter. But right before halftime, Chris Paul took over the Rockets’ offense and exploited the porous defense of the Nets to close the lead to five. 

Chris Paul continued to dominate throughout the night, buoying the Rockets through whatever struggles they faced. The Nets also let an aging Carmelo Anthony light them up for 28 points. As the guards struggled to create offense in the second half, the lead the Nets were clinging to dissipated. 

The game looked all but lost — until Shabazz Napier checked in. 

His instant offense along with contributions from the rest of the bench breathed life into the team and made the game competitive again.

But it wasn’t enough for the Nets to overcome the monster performances from Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. While the Nets’ offense was humming with aggressive guard play early on, those same members struggled to find the same effectiveness as the game went on.

Brooklyn got the stops, but did not make the plays. 

Ultimately — it was another winnable game that slipped through the cracks as the offense stalled in crunch time.