Ouch, the losing streak continues for the Brooklyn Nets. But, looks can be deceiving, especially with the final score.

The game began with some highlights for the Nets, who got off to an early 8-3 lead with a three apiece from DeMarre Carroll and Allen Crabbe. A block party also ensued, with Crabbe and Jarrett Allen registering first quarter blocks. (Brooklyn finished the game with six rejections.)

The Nets were stone cold to close out the quarter though, scoring only two points in the final three and a half minutes. Langston Galloway powered a 7-0 run for the Pistons, and Detroit took a 26-21 lead at the end of the first.

For Brooklyn, Jahlil Okafor also picked up three fouls in only four minutes of first quarter action, forcing a rare Timofey Mozgov appearance. (Mozgov racked up 14 DNP’s up to this point.) By the end of the first, 11 Nets had already been entered into the game.

The man, the myth, the legend Timofey Mozgov startlingly fared well, notching four points and two blocks early in the second quarter. This accompanied a 9-0 Nets run that allowed Brooklyn to regain a 32-31 lead, which soon dissipated as the Pistons answered with a 10-2 run of their own.

With three and a half minutes remaining in the first half, the Nets started to bridge the gap. DeMarre Carroll and Spencer Dinwiddie each contributed one triple, while Crabbe and Joe Harris hit a couple of deuces.

An layup, plus the foul, by Carroll in the final seconds evened things up at 50. However, Ish Smith knocked down a trey at the halftime horn to give Detroit a slight 53-50 advantage.

Things continued to go Detroit’s way to start the second half. The Pistons’ lead ballooned to 10 points, 67-57, as the Nets allowed all of the Pistons to score at ease.

With 3:36 to go in the third, Brooklyn showed some signs of life. Powered by some playmaking by D’Angelo Russell, the Nets trimmed the deficit to one, 72-71.

Still, the Pistons rebounded with a 7-0 run and held a 79-73 lead entering the fourth quarter.

If that didn’t escalate quickly enough for ya… then there were the four points Detroit scored in the first 45 seconds of the fourth. Yeah.

Then, Allen Crabbe happened. The leading scorer of the night, Crabbe scored 10 consecutive points (including two triples), cutting the Pistons’ advantage to 91-88.

Brooklyn continued to fight, with Crabbe extending his hot streak and Harris hitting crunchtime buckets. Unfortunately, that was not enough for a successful comeback.

Allen Crabbe

A

The stats: 34 PTS, 13-22 FG, 6-14 3FG, 2-2 FT, 3 REB, 1 BLK, 36 MIN

Allen Crabbe was really something else in this game. I’m speechless.

DeMarre Carroll

A-

The stats: 14 PTS, 4-14 FG, 3-10 3FG, 3-3 FT, 12 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 33 MIN

Ian Eagle said DeMarre Carroll was doing “yeoman’s work” in this game, which is pretty accurate. Double-doubles are becoming commonplace for Junkyard Dog.