Two nights after rallying late in opposition to the Orlando Magic, the Nets discovered themselves in a well-known gap Friday evening at Barclays Heart. This time, there was no dramatic comeback to chase, however the consequence 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 rapidly 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 onerous.
Michael Porter Jr. completed with 18 factors on 7-for-20 taking pictures 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, turning into the primary rookie in franchise historical past to make a minimum of 5 triples in back-to-back video games and the twenty eighth rookie in NBA historical past to take action.
“There’s room to enhance,” head coach Jordi Fernández stated. “I do know our guys care and we’re going to come back again and get higher.”
Brooklyn couldn’t purchase a bucket to begin. The Nets missed their first six pictures, 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 every little thing on each ends and James Harden settled in virtually 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 strain picked up, Porter and Terance Mann discovered some rhythm, and the power carried by way of the bench. A Danny Wolf 3 reduce 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 taking pictures and really a lot in management.
It received ugly once more in a rush.
“They simply got here out and have been hitting pictures,” stated Nic Claxton, who returned to the beginning lineup Friday. “You need to get off to a greater begin, particularly while you’re taking part in a group as gifted because 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 taking pictures simply 38.7%.
The Clippers pushed their result in its largest of the evening 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 highway for a three-game Western Convention journey, starting Sunday in opposition to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum.
