For the second time in four games, the Denver Nuggets rallied from a double-digit deficit to emerge victorious 101-93.
While they needed some heroics from Nikola Jokic against the Philadelphia 76ers, this one against the Brooklyn Nets wasn't that close. Down by 16 with three minutes to go in the first half, the Nuggets clamped down on the Nets defensively to improve to 8-3 for the season (2nd-best in the West).
For more on this impressive win for the Nuggets, here are the biggest takeaways:
Tale of two halves for the Nets
At halftime, the Nets led by 12 courtesy of a 38-point first quarter.
In the first half, they assisted on 16 of their 25 made shots while shooting 53.7% from the field but those numbers change drastically in the second half.
After scoring 61 in the first half, the Nets only scored 32 in the second half on 11-of-48 (22.9%) shooting from the field.
While their defense wasn't bad in the second half, allowing 52 points after giving up just 49 in the first half, their offense failed to knock down shots when it mattered.
Nuggets starting backcourt struggles but the bench carries them
Heading into this game, the Nuggets bench averaged 32.7 points per game - good for 22nd best in the league.
The reserves stuck to that average in this game but more importantly, they carried the load on a night when the team's starting backcourt was struggling. Jamal Murray and Gary Harris combined for just 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
Off the bench, Mason Plumlee had 10 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in 20 minutes. Monte Morris finished with 10 points and seven assists in his 20 minutes. Jerami Grant recorded 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks in his 21 minutes.
Kyrie & Nets struggling on road trip
In a grind out game where both teams combined for just 14 turnovers, Kyrie Irving finished with 17 points and nine assists on 8-of-20 shooting.
For a player, who was averaging 30+ points through the first eight games, he's only averaged 19.7 on 25-of-66 shooting from the field and 4-of-23 shooting from beyond the arc over the last three games - all looses.
The Nets, after escaping Portland with a win, have lost the next three games allowing an average of 119.3 points per game.
This was the fourth of a five-game road trip. The team will now travel to Chicago before heading home. Can they get back on track in the Windy City?