Man, this is a tough one to grade.

After scoring 35 points in the first quarter, the Nets scored just 47 for the rest of regulation. And they still nearly won.

Thanks to Brook Lopez, who started the game alongside Mason Plumlee, the Nets jumped out to a 14 point lead in the first quarter. Then, the shots stopped falling. The team struggled to keep up with the Mavs pace. 1-22 from the three point arc happened.

Down 10 with about 4:00 to go in the final frame, the game appeared over. But then JOE COOL came along and nailed two threes, just to prove they still existed. Johnson failed to hit the game winner, and the Nets fell in overtime.

A tough one. They probably should have won, despite playing poorly. Even with the defensive struggles, they were able to contain Dallas’ offense — they just couldn’t get any points for themselves.

Brook Lopez

A

The stats: 22 PTS, 13 RBS, 11-21 FG

Scored 18 in the first quarter which was incredible. Looked to be having the game of the season, but in typical Brook Lopez fashion, came back to earth after his strong start. After going 8-10 in the first quarter, he went 3-10 after. Defensively, I thought he held his own against Tyson Chandler and was very aggressive. Chandler had himself a game, but Brook defended him well. 13 rebounds for Brook is always awesome to see too.