Brooklyn Boro

Dinwiddie shoots down Pacers in Indiana

Shrugs off rough night with game-winning jumper in final seconds

February 11, 2020 By John Torenli, Sports Editor
Spencer Dinwiddie Nets
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Having made just three of his first 14 shots and misfiring on all seven of his 3-point attempts, Spencer Dinwiddie hardly seemed like a candidate to pull victory out of the jaws of defeat for the Brooklyn Nets Monday night.

But with the game on the line and the clock winding down at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indiana, Dinwiddie did just that, swishing a 20-footer with 5.2 seconds remaining to give the Nets a 106-105 victory over the Pacers.

“I kept thinking I was going to blow the game because we were playing so well collectively,” said Dinwiddie after nailing the high, arching shot that propelled Brooklyn to its first road victory since Jan. 25.

“I was like, ‘Come on, man!’” Dinwiddie added. “‘You can’t be the one that blows this thing.’ That last shot was different.”

It certainly was.

Despite his shooting woes, Dinwiddie finished with team highs of 21 points and 11 assists while grabbing six rebounds and blocking a shot.

He also helped the Nets maintain some momentum before the upcoming All Star break by sealing their sixth win in the past nine games.

“I thought our defense was great in the fourth quarter. We only turned it over twice,” Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson said after Brooklyn won two games in Indiana for the first time in seven seasons. “Guys made plays. That’s what it all comes down to in the NBA, at the end of the game, you make plays.”

Playing without injured superstar Kyrie Irving for the fourth straight game, the Nets featured a balanced attack with eight of nine players who saw action scoring in double figures.

Joe Harris had 15 points, Taurean Prince added 14, Jarrett Allen finished with 13 and Caris LeVert, DeAndre Jordan and Garrett Temple scored 11 apiece for Brooklyn, which will be at defending NBA champion Toronto on Wednesday in its final game before All Star weekend in Chicago.

Dinwiddie and Harris will both represent the Nets during the festivities in the Windy City. Dinwiddie will try to win his second NBA Skills Challenge in three years and Harris will be back to defend his 3-Point Shootout crown.

Nets Head Coach Kenny Atkinson knows he will have some tough decisions to make regarding his starting lineup when injured superstar Kyrie Irving returns to action. Photo: Michael Conroy/AP

Irving, who missed 27 games earlier this year with a shoulder impingement, may sit out again when the Nets try to avenge Saturday’s 119-118 loss to Toronto at Barclays Center.

The mercurial shooting guard, who has had two 50-point games this year, while also missing a contest following the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, will undoubtedly shake up the Nets’ rotation when he does return.

But Atkinson isn’t going to tip his hand as to how just yet.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough decision because we’ve got three guys who are playing really well.”

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