After three difficult quarters of play Monday night, Brooklyn trailed Memphis by 26 points with 9:24 left. The team looked lackluster. So it was time to rest the starters. It wasn’t so much that the team needed a spark in hopes of pulling off an improbable rally. It was classic garbage time.
So Steve Nash did what coaches have done forever. He released his deep bench — Jevon Carter, Cam Thomas, David Duke Jr., Bruce Brown and Day’Ron Sharpe. Three rookies in Thomas, Duke Jr. and Sharpe along with two guys who are 25-something.
The 26-point deficit quickly shrunk.