If the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers play an untelevised preseason game at 3PM in upstate New York, did it really happen? Despite the fact that the game could not be watched and only a few of the Nets’ beat writers were in attendance, The Brooklyn Game has put together a rapid fire list of things you should take away from this game.
- The Nets lost 97-95 as a couple of tough buckets by Jarrett Jack down the stretch were canceled out by TJ McConnell’s jumper with 6.5 seconds left.
- Nets lose Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to a sprained ankle. It’s not likely serious, but this is definitely the most important note from this game. Following the departure of Alan Anderson this summer, the Nets are going to rely on the rookie for minutes pretty heavily. As of now, the injury is minor, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Nets hold him out to be safe, just like they’ve done with Willie Reed. However, that would severely eat into the remaining time Hollis-Jefferson has before the real season starts and that in-game flame is for real.
- Jahlil Okafor was no match for Brook Lopez. As Tim Bontemps noted, Okafor’s first two opportunities against Lopez came up empty after he was blocked and then turned the ball over. As a small additional note, Bontemps tweeted that Christian Wood looked tiny against Lopez and it appeared as if the Nets big man had four inches and 60 pounds on the undrafted rookie from UNLV. Lopez finished with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 23 minutes.
- The Return of Sergey Karasev is complete! For the first time since he tore his MCL in March, Karasev saw real game time for the Nets. Although it was noted that Karasev looked a little unconfident, he managed to play 16 minutes and finished with a couple buckets and steals. Welcome back, Sergey!
- Jarrett Jack shouldered the scoring load for Brooklyn tonight and went a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. Twitter reacted as usual to Jack’s high usage, but was eventually surpassed in shots attempts by Chris Daniels. Jack nailed an and-one and three-pointer on consecutive possessions to tie the game at 95. However, Jack only tailed two assists in nearly 28 minutes — a shockingly low number for any starting point guard.
- And, finally, it appears as if Justin Harper has continued his strong preseason and finished with 6 points on 2 of 7 shooting, but chipped with a team-high 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Harper is a long shot to make the team, but the former overseas man is making a great case for an NBA return.
You can find the full boxscore (without highlights at time of publishing) on NBA.com. The Nets will be on the road next as they take on the Boston Celtics Wednesday at 7:30PM.
Update: Andy Vasquez reports that Hollis-Jefferson says he’s “good” following ankle injury.
