By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Man oh man. What a win for the Brooklyn Nets.
Down by four points with only 9.5 seconds left, Brooklyn staged a one-in-a-million comeback after scoring six points off back-to-back three-pointers that left the Houston Rockets completely stunned, 99-97, during their inter-conference showdown in the NBA regular season on February 5, 2025.
Keon Johnson kicked off Brooklyn’s come-from-behind spark after draining a quick trey that pulled them to within a point, 96-97.
Three seconds after Johnson’s clutch bomb, the Nets weren’t done and kept their fighting spirit alive after stealing Houston’s inbounding pass.
With six seconds still left to operate, Brooklyn tapped the loose ball to the hands of D’Angelo Russell, who sank a cold-blooded triple that gave the Nets the lead, 99-97.
The Rockets had the chance to equalize or win the ball game after head coach Ime Udoka called a timeout, but their drawn play failed to convert as Jalen Green fumbled his three-point attempt from the top of the key.
After the official game buzzer sounded, the visiting Houston squad was still in shock and remained inside the hardwood, still in disbelief.
From the get-go until the fourth, the Nets and the Rockets engaged in a dogfight as both teams failed to pull away for good.
Brooklyn was able to jump to an eight-point lead midway through the third, but Houston countered back with their own offensive rally that helped them return to the driver’s seat in the fourth.
Houston was already looking to ice the game after the returning Alperen Sengun dominated in the paint in the final five minutes of action, backstopped by the clutch free throw drained by their defensive lynchpin, Dillon Brooks.
Just when the Rockets thought that they could chow a sumptuous dinner in the bright lights near the Barclay’s Center, the Nets played a major spoiler and capped off the win with six points in the final nine seconds.
Johnson wrapped up his clutch performance with a team-high 22-point outing alongside four rebounds, two assists, and two steals, while Russell, the man who scored Brooklyn’s final trey, ended up with 10 markers, five dimes, four boards, and two steals.
Nic Claxton also provided solid numbers for the Nets, tallying 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
On the other hand, the Rockets fell to their fourth consecutive loss, their worst stretch since the 2025 season kicked off last month.