Jeremy Lin finally had his breakout game on Thursday against the Orlando Magic but it was not enough to extend the Brooklyn Nets' winning streak to four. The Nets suffered their first loss in April as the Magic prevented a late rally to earn the 115-107 victory.
The Nets were down by as much as 17 points in the second half but the Jeremy Lin and the bench started the comeback. They were able to trim the lead to just five points with less than two minutes to play, per NBA.com.
However, the Magic were able to prevent a meltdown and send the Nets to their 60th loss of the season. Veteran shooting guard Jodie Meeks had a big game for Orlando. He scored 18 of his 20 points in the third quarter while Elfrid Payton scored a team-high 22 points.
Aaron Gordon added 21 points, six boards and three steals. Nikola Vucevic also had a big game with 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. The Magic are heading into the offseason with a lot of questions regarding another rebuild.
Jeremy Lin and the Nets, on the other hand, have a better outlook next season despite their lackluster season. Lin exploded for 32 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in what could be described as his best performance as a member of the Nets.
Caris LeVert added 20 points while Spencer Dinwiddie, Justin Hamilton and Isaiah Whitehead combined for 31 points off the bench. Brook Lopez had a really bad game as he only posted 10 points and five boards. He blamed himself for the team's loss in an interview with Newsday after the game.
"They came out with more energy than us in the third. I was so flat-out poor tonight, it was rough. We've grown so much over this stretch, but we took a step back tonight," Lopez said.
The Nets have three games remaining in their season and they are looking to win all of them. They host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday before finishing the season on the road in Boston and Chicago.
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