SAN ANTONIO — Welcome to the NBA, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
The Nets rookie had his pocket picked in the backcourt by Kawhi Leonard for an easy dunk late in the third quarter of Friday’s 102-75 loss to the Spurs in front of a sellout crowd at AT&T Center.
Leonard, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, showed why on the play, lurking as Hollis-Jefferson got a rebound and casually turned upcourt with the ball. Then, as Hollis-Jefferson tried to cross over and get past him, Leonard stuck his hand in and swiped the ball. He then casually picking it up, took a dribble and slammed it home with two hands.
“It just so happened my fingers are like 20 inches,” Hollis-Jefferson said, “and he got his finger on the ball and got a steal.
“It’s just basketball. Things happen, but you’ve got to keep playing.”
The play was emblematic of the way the game flipped after halftime. The Spurs outscored the Nets 60-28 following the break to blow things open after the Nets held a 47-42 halftime lead.
Hollis-Jefferson, the No. 23 pick in last June’s draft, had made an excellent defensive play about a minute earlier, forcing Leonard into a travel after he drove into the lane and left his feet. Hollis-Jefferson was right in his face, preventing him from doing anything with the ball.
A couple of plays later, Leonard again appeared to try and stick it to Hollis-Jefferson by isolating him on the perimeter and pulling off a nice crossover, but he missed the ensuing 20-foot jumper.
“I was just playing hard,” said Hollis-Jefferson, who finished with 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 26 minutes — the most of any Net off the bench — in a second straight impressive outing. “You’re going to get stops in games. I’m a defender, so I look to get stops, and he is, too.”
Jarrett Jack said he had no issues with his left hamstring after playing 27 minutes and finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
“I feel fine,” Jack said. “My legs were a little bit tired … but I felt good. My rhythm was pretty good.”
Jack missed Wednesday’s season opener against the Bulls because of soreness in that hamstring, which had kept him out of the previous four practices.
But Jack practiced Thursday and also is expected to be ready to go Saturday night in Memphis against the Grizzlies.
The Nets are 0-14 in regular-season games at AT&T Center. They did, however, manage to win Game 2 here in the 2003 NBA Finals, before eventually losing in six games.
Brook Lopez couldn’t believe that was the case when he was informed of that stat before the game.
“Never?” he asked. “Oh my God. Really? Oh my goodness.”