Sure, it’ll count as a loss in the record books. But consider this a moral victory.
The shorthanded Nets, who were without four of their biggest weapons - Kevin Durant, James Harden, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge - fell to the Sixers, 123-117. With the loss, the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed belongs to Philadelphia. Brooklyn falls to 37-18 on the season and are now a game behind the Sixers for the first seed.
The Sixers led 112-90 with 8:21 remaining but the Nets second unit provided life and hope when they needed it, holding Philadelphia scoreless for nearly five minutes.