ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 12, 2021) – The Long Island Nets (1-1), the NBA G League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, fell to the Lakeland Magic (1-1) 106-100 tonight at HP Field House.
Long Island guard Jeremiah Martin led the way for the Nets in the loss and finished with a team-high 21 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line to go along with six assists and two steals in 31 minutes of play.
Nets two-way forward Reggie Perry contributed 15 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and a block in 32 minutes of play, recording a double-double in the loss. Long Island forward BJ Johnson recorded 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 33 minutes of action.
Lakeland guard Andrew Rowsey scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-9 shooting from 3-point range to go along with two rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes. Milwaukee Bucks two-way forward Mamadi Diakite, who is currently playing for Lakeland, finished with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line, adding six rebounds, five assists, a steal and three blocks in 30 minutes off the bench.
The two teams went back-and-forth to open the contest, with Long Island clinging to a 15-14 advantage at the midway point of the first quarter. Lakeland got hot towards the end of the frame, using a 12-5 spurt over the final 2:41 of the quarter for a 35-27 lead entering the second.
Long Island chipped away in the second, cutting its deficit to 48-45 with 4:01 remaining in the half. The Nets went on to outscore Lakeland 27-24 in the quarter and trailed 59-54 at halftime.
The Nets carried this momentum into the third quarter, as they tied the score at 69-69 on a Johnson jumper with 4:47 on the clock. Long Island regained the lead shortly after and held a 76-75 edge after three quarters.
Long Island extended its lead to six points less than a minute into the fourth, but the Magic responded, going ahead 90-88 on a 3-pointer from Rowsey just after the midway point of the quarter. Lakeland would not give up the lead for the rest of contest, going on to win by the final score of 106-100.
The Nets will host the Greensboro Swarm in their next game on Sunday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m. ET at HP Field House, while the Magic will face the Memphis Hustle next on Sunday, Feb. 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET.