Nets fall to Cavaliers in overtime in Summer League semifinals
It’s almost fitting that the Nets couldn’t leave Las Vegas without some more high-stakes drama.
In Sunday’s NBA Summer League semifinal, the Nets went to overtime for the second game in a row. This time they fell to the Cavaliers, 102-99.
The Nets (3-2) had won three straight after Cleveland (5-0) handed them their first loss in Summer League play.
Armoni Brooks’ three-pointer with 24.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter tied it at 94 to help force overtime. He made another three-pointer in the extra period to bring the Nets within 100-99, but Isaiah Mobley ended the game with a field goal on the next possession to get past the target score of 101.
The Summer League uses the Elam Ending format in overtime, with a target score and the clock turned off. For Summer League, it’s the first team to score seven points.
Brooks, who made a strong case for a potential two-way contract with his shooting, scored 22 points. Jalen Wilson also had 22 points for the Nets, who rallied from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
Brooks, who entered Sunday shooting 45.5% on three-pointers in Summer League play, went 5-for-9 from behind the arc Sunday.
“Between my teammates and my coaches, they just instill confidence,” he said last week. “They’re steady telling me any time I think it’s a good look, shoot the ball.”
Wilson added four assists and 11 rebounds, capping a strong stretch for the second-round pick.
Noah Clowney, the Nets’ 21st overall pick in the 2023 draft, was held scoreless with just two rebounds, one block and four fouls in seven minutes. He did not play after halftime. Matt Lewis added 14 points off the bench. Kennedy Chandler had 11 points and seven assists and David Duke Jr. had 10 points and six rebounds.
The Nets won’t bring home a championship, but as Wilson noted Tuesday, the experience has been mostly positive for him and his teammates.
“Our chemistry has been building a lot game by game and I think everyone’s just really comfortable out there,” he said. “As far as on the offensive and defensive end, we seem to be very collective and understanding that we got each other’s back. I think it’s been great basketball.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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