NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Porter Jr.’s go-ahead layup with 5.4 seconds left gave the Nets a 112-109 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night after Brooklyn gave up a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Porter scored 26 points, Noah Clowney had 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the Nets ended their five-game losing streak. Daron Sharpe scored 14 points and rookie Danny Wolfe scored 13 points.
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Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 for the Bulls in the first game of the home series.
Head coach Jordy Fernandez thinks the Nets can win all three games on their just-concluded road trip, but after a 15-0 run in the second quarter gave the Nets a 17-point lead at halftime, their second-largest lead of the season, they don’t seem to have to worry about getting close again.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Cam Thomas’ three-pointer chased the score to 92-72, and the Bulls scored another 11 points. Thomas hit another three-pointer to halt the momentum, and the Nets still led by six with less than a minute left.
With 11.4 seconds left in the game, Tre Jones made a layup and the Bulls scored 7 points in a row to lead 109-108. The Nets attack, allowing Porter to catch the ball near the rim, and he puts the Nets back in front. Rookie Derek Powell then stole a Chicago pass from the sideline. Clowney made one of two free throws to make the score 112-109, but Vucevic missed a three-pointer.
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Brooklyn led 42-38 with about 4 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter and should have cut it to two points, but Matas Buzelis missed a fast-break dunk attempt when no one was available. Subsequently, Clowney hit two consecutive three-pointers. After Porter’s three-pointer, Clowney hit a goal to extend the lead to 17 points. Then Egor Deming made two free throws to chase the score to 57-38.
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The team plays in Chicago on Sunday.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA