These are the sorts of video games the Nets are going to need to get used to.

The gritty, ugly, grind-it-out performances have turn into a part of the material of the id the Nets should assume in the event that they’re going to salvage the second half of what was as soon as a season with championship expectations.

That’s what it took to get again on observe and safe a 124-123 extra time victory over Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

The Nets got gritty in their win over the Timberwolves.

“Coming right into a hostile setting in opposition to a great western convention opponent — it’s a testomony to our psychological toughness,” beginning guard Spencer Dinwiddie stated in his walk-off postgame interview.

It’s the fifth time the Nets have rallied again from down double-digits to create a single-possession sport down the stretch because the commerce deadline.

And ultimately, it was protection — not shot-making — that received a sport down the stretch.

The Nets denied Edwards a possibility to shoot on the ultimate possession of extra time. On the finish of the fourth quarter, the Nets received back-to-back stops on Edwards — first a strip steal by Spencer Dinwiddie, then a heavy contest on a working floater within the sport’s last possessions — earlier than dropping Naz Reid, who hit a buzzer-beating three to tie the sport at 114 and ship it into extra time.

The protection was the via line for a Nets group that fell right into a 12-point gap within the second quarter. The Nets held the Wolves to simply 20 factors within the third quarter.

It was a formidable efficiency from a Nets group whose bench scored an historic 98 factors in a late rally that fell brief in opposition to the Bucks the night time earlier than.

Head coach Jacque Vaughn sat virtually each key rotation participant in opposition to the Bucks on Thursday. Jacque Vaughn sat Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith in opposition to the Bucks. Mikal Bridges solely performed the primary quarter in opposition to the Bucks earlier than enjoying 47 of 53 attainable minutes in opposition to the Timberwolves on Friday.

The Pinstripe Specific

Weekly

The Every day Information sports activities editors handpick the week’s greatest Yankees tales from our award-winning columnists and beat writers. Delivered to your inbox each Wednesday.

Bridges scored a game-high 34 factors and shot 13-of-24 from the sector and four-of-eight from downtown. He outplayed Edwards, who completed with 32 factors on 12-of-26 taking pictures and struggled to get his photographs to fall down the stretch.

Cam Johnson added 15 factors and left the sport briefly after taking an elbow to the face. Seven totally different Nets, together with the whole beginning 5, scored in double figures.

Dinwiddie performed one in every of his greatest video games this time round in a Nets jersey. He created Brooklyn’s last two baskets in extra time on drive and kick threes — first discovering Bridges on a 3 to tie the sport at 121 apiece, then delivering a dime to Finney-Smith, who was wide-open within the nook for the go-ahead triple.

The Nets then pressured the ball out of Edwards’ fingers on the sport’s last possession.

Veteran Wolves guard Mike Conley had his side-step three blocked on the buzzer.

The Nets have now received 4 of their final 5 video games and journey to Denver on Sunday to tackle the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and a Nuggets group anticipated to return out of the Western Convention as championship contenders.

After struggling on the street, the Nets have received three of their final 4 video games in opponent territory.