LI Nets Outlast Charge, Pick Up 4th Straight Win

PHOTO: Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) via Twitter

The Long Island Nets bested the Cleveland Charge Thursday night in double overtime, clinching their first four-game winning streak of the season.

            The Nets came out of the gate hot, jumping out to a 15-point lead early in the second quarter. However, The Charge stormed back and eventually tied the game ahead of the halfway marker on the backs of Tacko Fall, RJ Nembhard Jr., and Malik Newman. Fall, the 7’6” standout center, torched Long Island on the glass, scoring 24 points with 12 rebounds while going 6-8 from the field.

            Despite the run Cleveland went on in the second quarter, the Nets took the lead back in the third and Cleveland didn’t get their first lead in the game until nearly the fourth. Later, with a 110-108 lead, Nembhard Jr. scored on a layup with 9.0 seconds to go which knotted things up and sent the contest into overtime.

            Down by two late, Ty Wallace, who broke out with 30 points, hit on a pair of free throws to pull the Nets even, eventually sending the game into a second overtime period. With 31.4 left to play, NBA veteran Thon Maker cashed in on a wide-open three-pointer which put Long Island up by four and ultimately sealed the game. 

            Also leading the way for the Nets was Craig Randall II, who picked up 34 points with six assists on 13-35 shooting (6-19 from three), and David Duke Jr., who scored 20 points to go along with seven rebounds. Following the win, Randall explained that tough wins like the one on Friday“build chemistry” and that it shows a lot about the team.

            Although Cleveland had a 15-0 streak in the second quarter, head coach Adam Caporn said after the game that he was “really happy for the most part” with how his team played. Now, the Nets will play the second leg of a back-to-back on Saturday against the Motor City Cruise.