Streaking Nets won’t be going to Vegas

Ousted from NBA Cup chase despite third straight win

November 29, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Spencer Dinwiddie of the Nets dribbles the ball.

Spencer Dinwiddie and the Nets drove past the Raptors Tuesday at Barclays Center, but were eliminated from contention for the NBA Cup. AP Photo by Bebeto Matthews

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DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn Nets improved to 3-0 on their ongoing five-game homestand Tuesday night at Downtown’s Barclays Center only to find out they were officially eliminated from advancing to the knockout round of the NBA’s first-ever In-Season Tournament.

“It (would) have been nice to go to (Las) Vegas, but it is what it is,” center Nic Claxton lamented after the Nets were denied one of the eight spots given to the teams that will fight for a chance to square off in Sin City next month for the coveted NBA Cup.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points, Mikal Bridges added 22 points and 10 rebounds and Royce O’Neale and Cam Johnson finished with 18 points each as Brooklyn rolled to a 115-103 victory over Toronto in front of 15,844 fans on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush.

Claxton had 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting for the Nets (9-8), who finished 3-1 in Group C East, but only managed to take third place behind Boston (3-1) and Orlando (3-1), respectively.

Brooklyn lost the three-way tiebreaker based on point differential.

The Celtics edged the Magic and will participate in the East Quarterfinals, which will take place Dec. 4 before the inaugural tournament moves to T-Mobile Arena in Vegas for the semifinals and championship game from Dec. 7-9.

The Nets had an outside chance to grab the conference’s wild-card berth, but the arch rival New York Knicks took the last available spot with a 115-91 triumph over Charlotte at Madison Square Garden Tuesday.

“We all thought we were going to Vegas, I cannot lie,” Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley said after scoring 23 points off the bench.

“When we first won, we all were saying we were going to Vegas like we were going to Disney World when you go to the Super Bowl.”

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn was heartened by his team’s resolve down the stretch against visiting Toronto Tuesday night in Downtown Brooklyn. AP Photo by Bebeto Matthews

Brooklyn isn’t headed to Vegas or the Super Bowl, but it did climb above .500 for the first time since Nov. 14 and matched its longest winning streak of the season.

The Nets, who also won three in a row from Oct. 30-Nov. 3, trailed the Raptors (8-10) by seven points in the second quarter before putting together a 15-0 run that gave them a 52-44 lead at intermission.

Dinwiddie, who led Brooklyn in scoring for the second straight game, had eight points during the burst to halftime, including consecutive 26-foot jumpers in the final minute before the break.

Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes put up 17 points apiece for the Raptors, who finished 1-3 in Group C with their second straight loss overall.

Toronto did forge a 94-94 tie on Gary Trent Jr.’s step-back jumper with 4:30 remaining in regulation, but Bridges converted a three-point play and drilled a 3-pointer a minute later to give the Nets a 100-96 lead.

Brooklyn clung to a three-point lead with just under two minutes to go before O’Neale hit one from beyond the arc and Cam Johnson soared in for a lay-up to stretch the advantage to 108-100 with 1:08 left.

“Congratulations to Brooklyn,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic told the Associated Press. “They played (a) great game. They were able to make shots down the stretch.”

O’Neale knocked down six shots from long range for the second straight game, but Brooklyn made a dozen less 3s than the NBA season-high 25 it sunk during Sunday’s win over Chicago.

That didn’t stop the Nets from finding other ways to put up points on the Raptors despite continuing to miss regulars Cam Thomas (ankle), Ben Simmons (back) and Dennis Smith Jr. (back).

“We just (ended) up making the right plays at the end (of the game),” Brooklyn coach Jacque Vaughn said. “Overall we had a good balance of attacking the rim and shooting 3s tonight.”

The Nets will try to continue finding that balance when they shoot for their first four-game winning streak of the year here Thursday night against the Hornets (5-11).

That should make them feel a little better about missing out on continuing their pursuit of the NBA Cup.

Mikal Bridges put up 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Nets’ season high-tying third straight win Tuesday night at Barclays Center. AP Photo by Bebeto Matthews

NOTHING BUT NET: Thomas, who has been out since Nov. 8 with an ankle injury, is reportedly scrimmaging with teammates and could be back before the Nets open a five-game West Coast swing Monday night in Sacramento. … Brooklyn finished with a 59-46 rebounding advantage against the Raptors. The Nets’ starters — Dorian Finney-Smith, Bridges, Dinwiddie, Claxton and O’Neale — each finished with at least eight boards. … After hosting Charlotte on Thursday, the Nets will complete this homestand Saturday night vs. Orlando.