After an impressive and encouraging three-game stretch from Nov. 24 through Nov. 27, in which the Nets defeated the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Phoenix Suns on the road, they hit a skid, losing three straight, including two at home at the Barclays Center, heading into last night’s game in Brooklyn against the Indiana Pacers.
The Nets were 9-13 and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings before hosting the Pacers, which were 9-11. Injuries are beginning to take a toll on the Nets. Several of their top rotation players have missed games since the start of the season.
Small forward Cam Johnson was out for Monday’s game with a sprained right ankle and is day-to-day. Point forward Ben Simmons did not play Monday and left Sunday’s game for back injury maintenance, but has not played back-to-back games all season. Forward Ziaire Williams was sidelined Monday with a left knee sprain. Forward Dorian Finney-Smith has not played since November 27 due to a left ankle sprain.
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On Nov. 27, the Nets announced that leading scorer Cam Thomas would miss three to four weeks with a left hamstring strain. Forward Noah Clowney has a left ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated next week. Small forward Bojan Bogdanović has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from a left foot injury.
The Nets’ depleted lineup was a factor again on Monday night in a 128-102 road loss to the Chicago Bulls; they were outscored by 20 points in the second half.
First-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez did not make excuses or mince words when criticizing his team after the defeat.
“It was on our side a lack of competitiveness in the second half,” he said. “They had 21 fast-break points in the second half, not in the first half. We knew they were a running team. We knew they were shooting a lot of [3-pointers]. They made six in the second half.”
Fernandez said 21 points off 13 turnovers is unacceptable,
“It means that every time you turn it over, you’re just giving them the ball to score, and that obviously reflects on the fast-break points,” he said. “It’s not good enough and we have higher standards … this was not good.”
Fernandez could have reasonably used injuries as a cause for the setback, or playing three games in four nights, including back-to-back losses against the Orlando Magic last Friday and Sunday, both at the Barclays, but did not when asked if that were a factor.
“I don’t care who’s playing. If they wear a Nets uniform, I’m going to go out there and believe that we are going to fight, compete, and we are going to have a chance,” he said. “Now, if we do like the other day (against Orlando), where we played a very good team, and we fight, compete, and we end up losing the game, I’ll tell them that I’m proud of them.”
Two young Brooklyn players have taken advantage of their playing time, making strong impressions by filling in for injured teammates: Guard Tyrese Martin knocked down eight threes and exploded for a career-high 30 points against the Phoenix Suns last week. Guard Dariq Whitehead scored a career-high 18 points versus the Bulls after nailing six threes.
