The Nets lost two games this past week against competition that should have been winnable for the Nets. With how the games were being played this week, the Nets had all the opportunities to come into the next week with a three-game winning streak. Despite the losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers, the Nets managed to grab a dominant win over the Los Angeles Lakers in a second half dominance. The Nets now hold a 17--25 record and hold 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets lost a close one in a 105-103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. It was thanks to a drive to the basket by Anfernee Simons in the final seconds that cut through the Nets defense and grabbed the win for the Trail Blazers. Simons’ status was questionable for that game as he was reported to have an illness but managed to push through and play against the Nets. The score was close for the majority of the game, with both teams changing leads as the game went on.
Unfortunately for the Nets, Mikal Bridges had to sit out shortly after the second half after a collision that left him heading towards the bench and out for the remainder of the game. It was thanks to a short run in the third quarter by Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Thomas that the Nets held their biggest lead of the night at eleven points, but the Trail Blazers slowly crawled at the lead to make it a close game again midway through the fourth quarter.
The Nets held a small lead nearing the end of the game but a rally by Simons and Jerami Grant put the Trail Blazers up with the clock in their favor. Tied at 103 with five seconds remaining, Simons was able to cut through the basket and score the game winning layup for the win, and gave the Nets their fourth straight loss.
For the Nets, Bridges had 21 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Dinwiddie had 19 points and seven assists. Cam Johnson had 13 points and five assists, while Nicolas Claxton had a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Off the bench, Lonnie Walker IV had 13 points.
For the Trail Blazers, Jerami Grant led the way with 30 points and eight rebounds, while Simons had 20 points, four rebounds and four assists. Duop Reath had 17 points and seven rebounds, while Malcolm Brogdon had 16 points, five rebounds and six assists. Off the bench, Scoot Henderson had seven points.
Locked in on BOTH ends pic.twitter.com/71RVpDs3lE
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 18, 2024
The Nets pulled through on their trip to Los Angeles in a 130-112 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The Nets were playing sluggishly throughout the first half, and trailed by as much as 12 points before dominating in the second half. They played with a chip on their shoulder on Friday night, mainly due to the tough loss against the Trail Blazers in a game that could have been won.
The Nets played more physically and rallied together in the second half to go on a 23-8 scoring run to take a nine-point lead. They were able to get a rhythm going in the second half and didn’t look back, leading by as much as 23 points in the fourth quarter. They had 19 3-pointers for the night, and also dominated on the defensive end as well.
The Nets caused 10 turnovers in the second half and created low percentage shooting for the Lakers at 14 of 41 from the field, and 4 of 14 from the 3-point line. It was a much needed win for the Nets that night and broke their four game losing streak.
For the Nets, Claxton had a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds, along with two blocks, while Dinwiddie had 19 points and four rebounds. Bridges had 17 points, five assists and two steals, while Johnson had 10 points, four rebounds and five assists. Off the bench, Cam Thomas led the team in scoring with 33 points and also dished out four assists. Walker IV had 15 points, while Dennis Smith Jr. had 11 points, five assists and three steals.
For the Lakers, Anthony Davis led the charge with a double-double as he had 26 points and 12 rebounds, along with six assists, three steals and two blocks. LeBron James had a double-double as well with 24 points and 11 rebounds, along with five assists, while D’Angelo Russell also put up 20 points and dished out seven assists. Taurean Prince had 10 points, while Jared Vanderbilt had 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Final numbers from the W 📊 pic.twitter.com/u1r8SRxAwa
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 20, 2024
The Nets took a tough loss in a 125-114 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, who had a fourth quarter resurgence to win the game. After dominating the first three quarters, the Clippers turned a complete 180 and took over the fourth quarter to win the game. The Nets started out strong coming out of the first quarter with 16 points and the Clippers having no answers for them. They outplayed the Clippers for the majority of the game, having a comfortable 18-point lead in the fourth quarter, before the Clippers went on an explosive run.
The Clippers scored at every possession they had, and despite the clock being against them, they were able to rally for a 39-10 run. The Nets looked to have cooled off in the fourth quarter while the Clippers had no chance of being stopped from catching up to the lead. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard led the charge in the fourth, using their offensive prowess to shut out the Nets in the fourth and create an incredible comeback win. The Nets, however, could not get back their momentum and stop the run, leading to the loss.
For the Nets, Bridges led the team in scoring with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists. Claxton had 16 points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Dinwiddie also had 16 points, along with seven assists. Off the bench, Thomas had 20 points and six rebounds, while Smith Jr. had 13 points.
For the Clippers, James Harden had a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists, along with five rebounds and two steals. Kawhi Leonard also eclipsed the 20-point mark with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. Terrence Mann had 13 points, while Paul George had 12 points and seven rebounds. Off the bench, Russell Westbrook filled up the stat sheet with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists, while Norman Powell had 12 points and five rebounds.
STOP IT @24_camthomas pic.twitter.com/EPB20Sif7m
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 21, 2024
The Nets have played decent basketball this week, but could not garner a three-game winning streak. The loss to the Trail Blazers was mainly due to the lack of defense at the very last play which could have led to overtime and a chance to win. The loss to the Clippers was possibly due to a reliance on a double digit lead in the fourth quarter that worked to the Clippers’ advantage to come back.
The Nets have potential to be a decent team, as they showed against the Lakers in their second half resurgence, and against the Trail Blazers despite the loss. They lack that urgency when they need it and need to keep up the momentum for the full 48 minutes to be a team that can compete at the highest level.
