The Brooklyn Nets overwhelmed Hapoel Jerusalem with a 123-88 rout in their preseason debut at Barclays Center on Saturday. Terance Mann topped the scorers with 15 points on efficient 6-of-7 shooting, including two threes that helped spark an early surge.
Brooklyn jumped ahead quickly, outscoring the visitors 34-22 in the first quarter behind Nic Claxton’s dunks and Michael Porter Jr.’s playmaking. The Nets forced eight turnovers in the opening half alone, turning them into easy transition buckets that built a 70-45 halftime lead.
Hapoel’s Austin Wiley fought back with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but Brooklyn’s interior presence proved too much, as the home team racked up 64 points in the paint to Jerusalem’s 34. The Nets’ bench delivered decisively, outpointing the opponents 67-33, with Noah Clowney adding 13 points and four boards in reserve minutes.
Justin Smith led Hapoel with 16 points, including a brief fourth-quarter rally that trimmed the margin, but the Israelis shot just 36.4% from the field and 20.7% from three on 6-of-29 attempts. Brooklyn, meanwhile, connected at 56.3% overall and 44.7% beyond the arc, sinking 17 of 38 tries.
The game featured only one lead change after an early dunk tied it briefly, with two total ties in the opening frame. Ziaire Williams contributed seven points and four steals, fueling fast breaks, while Ben Saraf dished six assists to set up cutters like Day’Ron Sharpe, who blocked two shots and scored seven.
Hapoel’s Khadeen Carrington tallied nine points and four assists but picked up five fouls late. Danny Wolf rounded out a strong Nets showing with seven points and five assists in the final period, capping a balanced effort where 15 players saw the floor.
Brooklyn grabbed 52 rebounds, including 15 offensive ones for second chances, and converted 13 Hapoel turnovers into 22 points. The Nets scored 43 points off big leads, highlighting their depth against international opposition.
