Long Island Nets Fall to Lakeland Despite Second Half Comeback
March 6, 2020 - NBA G League (G League) - Long Island Nets News Release
LONG ISLAND - The Long Island Nets (19-22), the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, came up short to the Lakeland Magic (23-17) 133-126 tonight at NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Brooklyn Nets forward/center Nicolas Claxton, while on assignment with Long Island, finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, 2-of-2 shooting from 3-point range and 3-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe to go with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 28 minutes of action. Fellow Brooklyn assignee Dzanan Musa finished with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 30 minutes of play.
Long Island guard CJ Massinburg finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range while adding two rebounds and eight assists in 24 minutes off the bench.
Lakeland forward Amile Jefferson led the way for the Magic, finishing with a game-high 30 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds, four assists and a block in 36 minutes, recording a double-double. Magic guard Andrew Rowsey finished with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from the free-throw line to go with three rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes off the bench.
Lakeland jumped out to a fast start, outscoring the Nets 9-0 over the opening 2:18 of the first quarter. Following a Nets timeout, Long Island would go on a 13-4 run over the ensuing 4:33, evening the score at 13-13. The Magic, however, would regain the lead, closing out the first quarter ahead 27-21.
Lakeland carried over its strong play during the end to the first quarter into the second, opening the quarter with a 10-3 run. The Magic would go on to outscore the Nets 36-23 in the second, taking a commanding 63-44 lead into the half.
Long Island came out looking to battle its way back into the game in the second half, getting to within seven points of the Magic with 20 seconds remaining in the third. Lakeland entered the final quarter leading 95-88.
The Magic came out looking to close out the contest, opening the quarter on a 10-4 run over the first 2:38 of the fourth. The Nets, however, continued to chip away, getting to within two points with 2:45 remaining in the fourth. In the end, Lakeland's first-half lead proved to be too much to overcome as Long Island fell to the Magic 133-126.
The Nets play their next game against the Greensboro Swarm on Sunday, March 8, at 3 p.m. ET at NYCB LIVE, while the Magic will travel to Delaware to take on the Blue Coats next on Sunday, March 8, at 2 p.m. ET.
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