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.
CHICAGO — The Nets’ first-ever In-Season Tournament game went right down to the buzzer, the most dramatic inaugural game they could’ve imagined.
“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.” 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.
But the Nets promptly coughed up 14 unanswered points, going down by four on Vucevic’s only basket of the half. And when Cam Thomas got his floater blocked by Alex Caruso, and Bridges missed a wide-open layup with 1:13 left in the half, it didn’t seem like their night.
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