Tuesday’s dwelling loss to the Celtics was the newest instance of Brooklyn’s struggles to complete video games. The Nets matched Boston’s depth for many of the evening, trimming an 11-point third-quarter deficit to 4 getting into the fourth. However they unraveled late, capturing simply 26.7 % within the last interval with seven turnovers, and had been outscored by 10 the remainder of the way in which.
“I think the fourth-quarter execution and a lot of the things we did well throughout the game, we didn’t do it in the fourth,” head coach Jordi Fernández stated. “A lot of times, it’s just hard in this league to have that level of intensity and focus. So, I believe we can keep doing those things and obviously playing against a team like [the Celtics] that has players who have been there with experience, with that talent level, all that is very good for us.”
That theme has adopted the Nets all season. They’re being outscored by practically some extent per sport within the last interval, rating twenty third in fourth-quarter margin and are capturing simply 40.7% from the sector and 32.5% from 3-point vary in these minutes. The lapses have proven up in key moments, too, whether or not it was getting outscored 34–21 by Minnesota, surrendering an 11–0 closing run in Orlando or permitting an 8-0 run to Boston proper after Brooklyn briefly took the lead Tuesday evening.
“We play so hard to put ourselves in a position where we can win games, but we don’t quite know how to finish games,” Noah Clowney stated. “And you’ll see against a lot of older teams that come together, they kind of know what they want to get to late in games, whereas we’re kind of just like almost timid, we don’t know what we want to do.”
The problems aren’t restricted to the closing minutes. Third quarters have tripped the Nets up all yr. They’re averaging simply 26.9 factors within the interval, twenty eighth within the league, whereas getting outscored by 2.4 factors on common. They’re capturing 42.8% from the sector and 33.8% from deep in that body, numbers that present how usually the offense stalls popping out of halftime whereas opponents seize management.
“We’re just not good at executing it, yet,” Clowney continued. “Also, I think in the second half, that third quarter, we have to find somebody to hit. I think we had 22 fast break points in the first half and like two in the second. So, we have to get more in transition.”
For a roster this younger, these swings are a part of the method. The Nets can overwhelm groups for stretches, then run into hassle as soon as the sport slows down and each possession will get heavier. They’ve confirmed they’ll go toe-to-toe with veteran teams, however they’re not closing like one but. Studying methods to deal with these moments, when tempo fades, scouting takes over and each mistake will get magnified, is the following step of their progress.
“We have a young team and we’re newly playing together, and I think [the Celtics] have been in so many situations in the fourth quarter as a group that they kind of knew how to execute down the stretch and we’re still figuring that out,” Michael Porter Jr. stated.
