SALT LAKE CITY – The Nets staged a comeback late in regulation with a defensive defensive cowl late in extra time.
In the long run, Brooklyn suffered a 112-111 loss to Utah in entrance of a sold-out crowd of 18,175 on the Delta Middle on Sunday.
They usually do not need to hear something about ping-pong balls or lottery rankings. Not after this one.
“I do know it is sort of like a rebuilding scenario, however we have now to enter it like we need to win, no matter what the entrance workplace expects,” Ben Simmons mentioned.
“No ethical victory. I am pissed. We must always have received however we simply must preserve slicing,” added Nic Claxton. “We misplaced rather a lot and everyone seems to be bored with dropping. They excluded all their gamers and we nonetheless misplaced.
It was Claxton who was proper in the course of the essential finish of the sport. He had 14 factors and 12 rebounds in a stable night time, however – with the Nets main 111-110 with a foul to commit and after discussing it throughout the timeout with 6.4 seconds left in extra time – n didn’t hinder Isaiah Collier as he drove for a too-easy layup.
“I ought to have fouled him,” Claxton mentioned. “[Jordi Fernandez] informed us within the timeout. So I ought to have made a mistake. It truly is that straightforward. So they need to both play a special play. So I ought to have made a mistake.
Collier’s drive (23 factors, seven assists and 7 rebounds) proved to be the sport winner.
Collin Sexton had 5 of his 23 factors in extra time.
The Nets (13-26) have misplaced 5 video games in a row and eight of 9.
They’re dedicated to constructing all through the draft, with 4 first-round picks in June. And sitting at fifteenth general within the draft a month in the past earlier than buying and selling Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith, they’re now sixth within the lottery odds.
The Nets moved a half-game forward of seventh-place Portland, which they go to on Tuesday. They usually had been 3 ½ video games behind the fifth-place Jazz, however they lower that to 2 ½ with Sunday’s loss.
Brooklyn additionally misplaced the final assembly towards the Jazz, on December 21 on the Barclays Middle. That kicked off a 2-10 streak and a descent within the Jap Convention standings, however a climb on the lottery ladder.
Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, who had 40 factors and 17 rebounds in Utah’s final sport, have been each absent towards the Nets. It did not matter. The Nets have been additionally with out Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson and D’Angelo Russell.
The offense was as exhausting to return by as may very well be anticipated.
On Sunday, they needed to depend on not too long ago signed two-way gamers Tosan Evbuomwan (team-high 22 factors) and Ziaire Williams (19 factors) to hold the scoring load.
Simmons, in simply his second sport, had 14 factors, 9 assists and 6 rebounds. He logged 31:38 earlier than exceeding his minutes restrict and giving solution to Evbuomwan within the additional stanza.
The Nets led 70-67 4 minutes from the tip of the quarter on Tyrese Martin’s dunk. However that is once they misplaced management of the sport. The Nets conceded a rating of 15-4 over the subsequent two minutes.
They discovered themselves trailing 82-74 with 1:32 remaining following a dunk by Collier.
Trailing 102-96 with two minutes left on Sexton’s free throws, the Nets closed with six unanswered factors to drive extra time.
That is the place the Nets misplaced. They shot simply 3 of 11 and 0 of three from deep.
“Each in protection and assault, they did not work the way in which we wished. So I have to be clearer about what we wish, execution. So these two are enjoying on me,” Fernandez mentioned. “Effort, resilience, lastly connection throughout this fourth quarter. I am so proud of this race on the finish. We simply weren’t adequate. And that is what’s occurring within the NBA.
