Nuggets lose another heartbreaker to Nets, this time at hands of Brook Lopez

History truly repeated itself tonight as the Brooklyn Nets once again won on a last second basket. Joe Johnson-schmoe-Johnson as Brook Lopez gave the Nets a 121-120 victory on a soul-crushing tip-in in overtime.

THE RUNDOWN

First Quarter – Starters: Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, JaKarr Sampson, Kenneth Faried, Nikola Jokic

The Nuggets came out with a vigorous attitude and played some of the most spirited defense they had all year. Turning turnovers into easy baskets, they were playing the “Nuggets basketball” Michael Malone had envisioned since he came to Denver:

Unfortunately it wasn’t long until the Nets decided they weren’t going to miss tonight. Bojan Bogdanovic spearheaded the movement for Brooklyn as he went on a personal 8-0 run in under a minute of gameplay.

The momentum carried itself forward and what was once a 13-5 lead for Denver before the Bogdanovic barrage turned into a six point deficit.

Bogdanovic ended the quarter with 11 points on 4-6 shooting, including a scorching 3-4 from three.

Key stat of the quarter: Nets shot 5-8 from beyond the arc while the Nuggets shot a pathetic 1-6. Ouch.

End of first: Nets up 31-25.

Second Quarter – Starters: D.J. Augustin, Will Barton, Axel Toupane, Darrell Arthur, Joffrey Lauvergne

Lauvergne continued to look solid as he scored Denver’s first six points of the quarter before dishing a dime to D.J. Augustin for three. Look on this play at how Joffrey contested the shot, sprinted down the court and sealed his man for an easy basket.

Augustin started to heat up, carrying his momentum from last game’s 22-point fourth quarter explosion. Trading Randy Foye not only netted the Nuggets a pair of second rounders, but it looks like a more productive player as well. Truly a win-win trade for Tim Connelly.

Augustin scored 9 of the Nuggets’ next 11 points including this incredible four-point-play after the savvy pump-fake:

Ex-Nugget Sean Kilpatrick decided he wanted to prove to the front office they made a mistake letting him go, as he started lightning the Nuggets up. He looked much more comfortable tonight after getting some experience under his belt.

Newest Nugget Axel Toupane made his debut and had some very nice defensive plays, utilizing his motor and 6-foot-10 wingspan. Other than that, he didn’t have much of an impact on the game. Interestingly enough, Altitude TV interviewed Darrell Arthur on what it was like having two French teammates and he revealed that Joffrey and Toupane have actually known each other since they were just five years old.

Key stat of the quarter: Once again, the discrepancy in perimeter shooting. The Nets shot 80 percent from beyond the arc in the second while the Nuggets shot 33 percent.

End of second: Nets up 63-57.

Third Quarter – Starters: Mudiay, Harris, Sampson, Faried, Jokic

The third quarter was the Harris show as the second-year guard showed everyone that he still has quite a bit of potential too. He made play after play, dragging the Nuggets back into the game with his defense, tenacity, and solid feel for the game.

Here’s another look at Gary with yet another one of his patented steal-to-fastbreak dunks:

Harris plays hard with a tough-nosed attitude and does anything you asks of him on the court. He’s the epitome of not only a Malone player, but any coach’s dream. Nuggets fans should feel extremely grateful to have him represent their team for the foreseeable future.

While Harris helped lead the Nuggets comeback it was Mudiay who stole the show. The rookie was attacking the basket relentlessly, something everyone has been waiting to see. Fortunately it paid off again and again, hopefully reinforcing the idea positively in Mudiay’s head.

Emmanuel is at his best when he’s a threat to score driving down the lane as opposed to being predictable with his passes. Opponents can no longer wait for him to dump it off and jump the passing lane, they have to respect his ability to score now:

Key stat of the quarter: Denver showed more aggression than the Nets in the third and made the most of it as they shot 8-9 from the charity stripe compared to just 4-6 for Brooklyn

End of third: Tied 90-90.

Fourth Quarter – Starters: Augustin, Barton, Sampson, Arthur, Lauvergne

It was truly a combined team effort in the fourth quarter as the highest scoring Nugget was JaKarr with 5 points. The Nuggets won the quarter with their defense as they locked the basket down and did a good job contested perimeter shots.

Jokic and Harris even hosted their own little block party at the Pepsi Center:

Mudiay found himself with the fate of the game in his hands with just 8 seconds left and his team down a single point. Instead of pulling up for a stepback fadeaway like he would have done earlier in the season, he continued to attack the basket aggressively and decided he was going to take it inside from the very second he touched the ball. The results speak for themselves:

On the Nets’ last possession, Bogdanovic attempted a Hail Mary 3-pointer that Mudiay attempted to contest. Unfortunately, the officials called a shooting foul on the play. Fortunately, he missed his first attempt before making the last two. Was it a foul? I’ll let you decide:

Key stat of the quarter: Nuggets once again with a horrific shooting display as they convert a mere 14.3 percent of their threes.

End of regulation: Tied 112-112.

Overtime – Starters: Mudiay, Harris, Barton, Arthur, Jokic

Besides Mudiay’s best efforts with two offensive boards and an overtime-high of 6 points on 2-3 shooting, the Nuggets struggled to score with Barton and Jokic both going 0-3.

Still, one had to be extremely encouraged by the rookie’s crunch-time performance as he continued his rampage towards the rim:

Fortunately the Nuggets defense was good enough to keep the game close and Denver found themselves up by one after Mudiay drew the foul (by yet again attacking the paint) and nailed both free throws. This is when Lopez scored on an offensive tip-in leaving just .4 seconds on the clock as the Nuggets called timeout and attempted a futile lob to Jokic. He has a ton of skills, but jumping definitely isn’t one.

Final: 121-120

WHERE/WHEN

Pepsi Center, Denver, CO | March 4th | Regular Season Game 62 (24-38)

CO-STARS OF THE GAME

Harris and Mudiay gave Nuggets fans a ton to be excited for as the backcourt of the future combined for 46 points on 17-31 shooting, 10 assists and five steals. In a mouth-watering blend of defense, playmaking and scoring, the youthful dynamic duo left fans wondering what exactly is in store for the future.

Here’s Mudiay grabbing a steal and throwing a gorgeous outlet to Harris for the dunk. Gary has some sneaky, sneaky athleticism…

And here’s Harris returning the favor as he splits the defense expertly and finds Mudiay wide open for the three. Buckets!

BY THE NUMBERS

The Nuggets shot an absolutely abysmal 23.1 percent from beyond the arc. This is a problem that’s growing more and more glaring as the Nuggets are one of the worst teams in the league at converting open looks, hitting just 35.5 percent of threes when they’re wide open.

A stretch four would solve a ton of problems and will most likely be something strongly considered in the upcoming NBA draft.

Jokic continued his dominance with yet another double-double dropping 15 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. He can easily average a double-double next season if he puts in work and gets some more consistent minutes, two things you can bet the house on.

PLAYS OF THE GAME

JaKarr with a MONSTER putback dunk:

Jokic with an absolutely GORGEOUS pass. This one is a must watch:

Harris with a beautiful transition finish. Love the power dribble before he makes his move:

Jokic and Harris connect with the alley-oop in overtime. Their chemistry is just getting better and better!

WHAT’S NEXT

The Nuggets will stay in Denver and get ready to face the Dallas Mavericks in an afternoon game on Sunday. Tip off is at the Pepsi Center at 3:00 p.m. MST.