2015 NBA scores: The Clippers went full Seahawks in Brooklyn and 3 other things we learned

The end of the Hawks’ winning streak, the Clippers’ collapse, the Cavaliers’ 11th win in a row and the rest of the action from Monday night in the NBA.

by Jeje Gomez

Feb 3, 2015, 12:55 PM UTC

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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Fresh off a big win in San Antonio, the Los Angeles Clippers traveled to Brooklyn looking for their eighth victory in nine games. For a while, it seemed like everything was going their way. The Clippers were ahead for most of the game and were up eight with a little over a minute to go in the final quarter. That's when the Nets went on a 10-0 run to take the lead before closing it out in style with a dagger from Jarrett Jack. It was a late collapse that won't hurt the Clippers too much in the standings, but mirrors the inconsistency they have showed for long stretches this season.

For the Nets this was a much-needed win to keep up with the Hornets, who beat the Wizards. It marks their first home win of 2015, and snapped a four-game losing streak. Joe Johnson led the starters with 22 points, five rebounds and six assists while Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovic combined for 50 points, 10 rebounds and five assists off the bench. They made timely plays all night, including two key makes during the comeback, the aforementioned game-winner by Jarrett Jack (see below under "play of the night) and this one and-1 by Alan Anderson to get the lead with under 20 seconds to go.

The game clearly meant more to them than to the Clippers and that normally would be enough to explain why the superior team lost. Yet something has seemed off about the better L.A. team for a while, even in some of their wins. They sometimes look disinterested and sloppy, often playing down to rivals. Individual performances fluctuate wildly as exemplified by Blake Griffin, who had 31 points and 13 rebounds against the Spurs on Saturday only to log 13 and seven in Brooklyn. It's impossible to know how productive the bench will be from night to night, including Jamal Crawford. Even Chris Paul is having a down year by his lofty standards.

It's likely that the Clippers are pacing themselves, not unlike what Doc Rivers' Celtics used to do before flipping the switch and shining when they needed to. Blake Griffin recently recounted how dunking all the time exhausted him and Paul is almost 30 now and with a lot of miles on his legs. They are still winning, boasting a 33-16 record and their margin of victory rivals that of the Hawks. Going over the schedule, it's easy to see quality wins against good teams and no one will be happy to face them in the playoffs. They just have lacked the consistency often associated with contenders so far.

Their next four -- all on the road as part of a killer eight-game road trip -- will be against the Cavaliers, Raptors, Thunder and Mavericks After that, the Spurs and Rockets will visit the Staples Center. That stretch won't allow the Clippers an opportunity to coast without it affecting them in the standings and it could finally reveal whether they are a sleeping giant or a team that looks better on paper than it does on the court.

3 other things we learned

The Cavaliers now have the longest winning streak in the league. Not long ago, things were looking dire in Cleveland. The Cavaliers were on a six game losing streak and David Blatt's seat was getting warm. Then Blatt decided to take everybody bowling and the Cavaliers haven't lost since, stringing together 11 wins including victories over the Clippers, Bulls, Thunder and Trail Blazers. Kyrie Irving is playing at a superlative level and it seems the trades have paid off, with Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith all giving the team quality minutes. Since the Raptors lost, the Cavaliers' win over the 76ers puts them just 3.5 games back of the second seed. If they can keep the streak going, Cleveland still has time to make up for a shaky start of the season.

The Pelicans refuse to go away. The Pelicans beat the Clippers and Hawks in their last two games and have now won six of their last seven. While everyone focuses on Oklahoma City's potential surge and the Suns' seemingly inevitable fall, the Pelicans loom as a serious threat to leave both squads out of the playoffs. Anthony Davis continues to play like one of the two or three best players in the league, logging 29 points and 13 rebounds against Atlanta, and Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans are playing better than they have in years. The race for the eighth seed is going to be brutal in the West but counting out the Pelicans could be a big mistake.

The Grizzlies are rolling. With the Hawks winning 19 straight and the Warriors looking historically good, it has been easy to overlook the Grizzlies. Yet they have won their last seven and are now just 2.5 games back from first place in the West. On Monday they beat the Suns on the road while showcasing their new-found depth, boosted by the arrival of Jeff Green. The 10 players that were on the court scored at least four points and had one assist. Their inability to hold or extend leads when the bench checked in was a problem in the past but it shouldn't be anymore and that makes the Grizzlies extremely dangerous.

Play of the night

After Alan Anderson gave the Nets a two-point lead, Chris Paul hit a layup to tie it up. The Nets had the last shot and put the ball in the hands of Jarrett Jack, who up until that points was 2-for-10 from the field.

Hero-ball at its finest. It was a good contest by DeAndre Jordan but an even better shot by Jack, who also finished with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.