Top 100 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season, Part 2

19. Brooklyn Nets come back — twice — to best James Harden and Houston Rockets in overtime

When the Houston Rockets led the Brooklyn Nets by eight points with 1:09 left in regulation of their Jan. 17 matchup, it seemed like a done deal. The same could be said when they led by seven with 1:28 left in overtime. And yet, the Nets overcame the odds both times to pull off one of the most improbable wins of the season.

Despite a monster 58-point, 10-rebound, six-assist performance from James Harden, Brooklyn simply wouldn’t go away. After the Rockets extended their lead to 127-119 on a P.J. Tucker 3-pointer, they missed a 3 and then missed four of eight free throws to keep the door open.

Thanks to a couple of dumb Rockets fouls, the deficit was down to six points with 28.6 seconds left. Spencer Dinwiddie, who finished with 33 points, hit a 3-pointer 2.4 seconds later. Harden went 1-for-2 at the line next. Dinwiddie hit another triple with 21.5 seconds left to pull Brooklyn within one. Harden made both his free throws the next time down, but Dinwiddie responded with another 3 to tie the game with 8.4 seconds left.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1085751212006354945

Harden’s 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left was off the mark, resulting in an unlikely overtime. Even so, Houston built a seven-point lead with 1:42 left … which it quickly squandered, thanks to a Treveon Graham 3, shot clock violation and Jarrett Allen 3-point play with the missed free throw turning into an offensive rebound and actual 3-point play for Dinwiddie that gave Brooklyn the lead.

When Austin Rivers missed a 3 with 6.5 seconds left and the Rockets had to foul on the ensuing Nets rebound, Brooklyn extended its lead to 3 before Gerald Green missed the game-tying 3 at the buzzer. It was a masterclass in what not to do with a lead late in games, but also in the resilience of this plucky Nets team.