On Tuesday night, the Nets faced off against the eighth-seeded Detroit Pistons. This was the second of three meetings between the two teams, which saw the Nets without Jeremy Lin after he sprained his ankle in a Sunday Matinee matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
Off the tip, the Pistons gained possession and were off to the races. Detroit opened up a 7-2 lead and looked dominant until Brook Lopez became too much for the Pistons, as the Nets answered with their own 9-1 run. Brooklyn had an early 11-8 lead. The Nets and Pistons battled for most of the first quarter, but eventually, it was Detroit that went on a run and ended the first with a 31-22 lead.