They’re one step closer to grabbing the sixth seed.
The Nets went into Detroit needing two wins to lock up the final guaranteed playoff spot and they are halfway to achieving that goal after defeating the Pistons, 123-108, at Little Caesars Arena.
The Nets (44-36) easily exceeded their season’s points per game average (113.5) and handed the lowly Pistons (16-64) their 22nd loss in 23 games, further giving Dwane Casey’s team the best odds to be suitors to win the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.
Spencer Dinwiddie led the charge for the away team, totaling 10 assists in the first quarter. He’s the only player in the league to do so this season and the third in franchise history (Jason Kidd and Robert Pack). He finished with six points and tied his career-high with 16 assists in 33 minutes.
Four of those assists went to Joe Harris, who subbed in after Cam Johnson limped off the court after bumping knees with Jaden Ivey in the first quarter. Harris scored five straight three-pointers shortly after entering the game, finishing the quarter with six three-pointers and 18 points. Harris finished the night shooting 6-for-9 off the bench.
The Nets ended the first quarter up 13 and held the lead throughout the game.
Wednesday’s game served as a soft landing spot for a team fighting for playoff seeding after a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Jacque Vaughn’s team entered the back-to-back road game 11.5 point favorites against the Pistons, who will finish the season with the worst record in the NBA.
A bright spot for the Pistons, though, is Jaden Ivey, who was selected with the fifth-overall selection in the 2022 draft.
The former Boilermaker scored 13 points and dished eight assists in the first half. He left the game after sustaining a leg injury and got dealt with a technical foul for slamming the ball on the court. He returned in the fourth quarter and finished the night with 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.
The Nets’ lead was cut to four in the third quarter after R.J. Hampton nailed a deep three-pointer, scoring the team’s previous 14 points. He scored 18 points in the third quarter and finished with career-high 27 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The win moves the Nets 1.5 games ahead of the Miami Heat, who are sitting in the East’s seventh seed. The Heat were off on Wednesday and will be in action on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Nets are mathematically eliminated from the fifth seed as there’s no scenario in Brooklyn’s favor to pass the No. 5 Knicks in the NBA’s tiebreaker rules.
So the main focus for the Nets is to secure one more win and the sixth seed. The Nets will also clinch the final guaranteed postseason spot with a Heat loss.
Brooklyn’s final two games will be played at Barclays Center. The penultimate game will be against the Orlando Magic on Friday, then MVP candidate Joel Embiid and the Sixers arrive in Brooklyn on Sunday.