Two nights after rallying late towards the Orlando Magic, the Nets discovered themselves in a well-known gap Friday night time at Barclays Heart. This time, there was no dramatic comeback to chase, however the end result was the identical. Brooklyn by no means led in a 121-105 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, a defeat that dropped it to 11-24 and confirmed how shortly issues can get away when the response by no means arrives.
The age hole confirmed up instantly. The NBA’s youngest roster confronted the league’s oldest, and for the Nets, the training curve hit quick and arduous.
Michael Porter Jr. completed with 18 factors on 7-for-20 capturing and missed all 9 of his makes an attempt from 3-point vary, although he added 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Egor Dëmin led Brooklyn with 19 factors and knocked down 5 3-pointers, changing into the primary rookie in franchise historical past to make not less than 5 triples in back-to-back video games and the twenty eighth rookie in NBA historical past to take action.
“There’s room to improve,” head coach Jordi Fernández stated. “I know our guys care and we’re going to come back and get better.”
Brooklyn couldn’t purchase a bucket to start out. The Nets missed their first six photographs, then their seventh, then their eighth, and by the point John Collins walked into an uncontested dunk on the 7:46 mark, they have been already in a 16-2 gap. Fernández had seen sufficient, burning an early timeout because the Clippers dictated all the things on each ends and James Harden settled in nearly immediately.
Dëmin lastly stopped the bleeding out of the huddle, drilling a left-corner 3 to present Brooklyn a pulse, however the climb was steep from there. To their credit score, the Nets didn’t fold. Defensive stress picked up, Porter and Terance Mann discovered some rhythm, and the power carried by means of the bench. A Danny Wolf 3 lower it to seven with 2:07 left within the quarter, however that was as shut because it received. Los Angeles nonetheless closed the opening body up 35-25 after main by as many as 16, with Harden already as much as 15 factors on 5-for-7 capturing and really a lot in management.
It received ugly once more in a rush.
“They just came out and were hitting shots,” stated Nic Claxton, who returned to the beginning lineup Friday. “You have to get off to a better start, especially when you’re playing a team as talented as the Clippers.”
In simply two minutes and 19 seconds, the Clippers opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run, pushing the result in 20 even after Fernández burned one other timeout. The fog by no means lifted. Brooklyn struggled to generate something clear, coughed up seven turnovers that led to 14 Clippers factors, and shot simply 37% from the sector and 25% from 3-point vary within the first half. Los Angeles, in the meantime, carved up the Nets at a 63.2% clip, with Harden pouring in 22 factors because the Clippers carried a 63-47 lead into the break.
Brooklyn did have a push, trimming the deficit to 9 with 8:16 left within the third behind a quick surge at each ends. It didn’t final. The Nets went chilly once more as Kawhi Leonard heated up and Harden stored rolling, and the lead ballooned again to 16 in a rush. Los Angeles carried a 91-76 benefit into the fourth, with Harden sitting on a wildly environment friendly 31 factors. Brooklyn did win the quarter 29-28, although, regardless of capturing simply 38.7%.
The Clippers pushed their result in its largest of the night time at 109-86 on a Jordan Miller floater in transition with 5:32 left, and that successfully sealed it. Fernández and Tyronn Lue emptied their benches with 2:26 left.
Leonard complimented Harden’s scoring with 26 factors of his personal.
The Nets will hit the street for a three-game Western Convention journey, starting Sunday towards the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
