The Nets couldn’t breathe until they forced a last-second miss by Zach LaVine, and Ben Simmons grabbed the clinching rebound to seal a victory.
The Nets’ first-ever In-Season Tournament game went right down to the buzzer, the most dramatic inaugural game they could’ve imagined.
And the Nets couldn’t breathe until they forced a last-second miss by Zach LaVine, and Ben Simmons grabbed the clinching rebound to seal a 109-107 victory before a crowd of 20,645 at United Center.
“I’m definitely excited about it. Different court, and seeing that at shootaround this morning, so there’s a little extra to this game and being a part of it,” Jacque Vaughn said before the game. “It’s new, it’s fresh. Let’s see what happens.”
What happened was another fourth-quarter comeback for the Nets, and a third straight victory.
And this one got them off to just the right start in East Group C.
“Whenever you’re able to be a part of something new in the NBA, it’s a blessing,” said Simmons, who had eight points, six assists and nine rebounds — the last by far the most vital. “So it’s a great thing to be a part of, especially being the first ones to be part of it.”
Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 of his team-high 21 points in the first half.
Starting a fourth straight game at center for injured starter Nic Claxton, the 6-foot-7, 220-pounder was going up against noted Net-killer Nikola Vucevic, giving up five inches and about 40 pounds.
He compensated by daring Vucevic to come out and contest him on a diet of pick-and-pops.
