The Brooklyn Nets went into this week riding a five-game losing streak. Luckily, the Detroit Pistons continued to be the worst team in the NBA where the Nets added onto their ongoing losing streak and broke their own losing streak. The Nets now hold ninth place in the Eastern Conference with a 14-15 record.
The Nets continue their struggle in the Western Conference this week with a 125 to 108 blowout loss to the Utah Jazz. The Nets had a hard time on the road with four of five losses, with the Jazz giving them their fourth loss before heading back to Brooklyn. The Nets were no match for Collin Sexton and Talen Horton-Tucker who each scored 27 points and were able to control the offense together. While the Nets were able to control the game for the first half and a majority of the third quarter, things fell apart for the Nets after allowing a 15 to 2 run for the Jazz which gave them the lead.
The Nets defense let their lead slip and had to catch up for the remainder of the game. They could not stop the offense in the second half where the Jazz shot 10 of 16 from the 3-point line. However, the Nets were able to cut down the lead and managed to cut down their deficit to single digits in the final minutes. The Jazz stepped up and put a stop to the rally as they answered back with five straight baskets with the Nets unable to fire back, sealing the win for the Jazz.
For the Nets, Cam Thomas led with 32 points and 4 rebounds, Spencer Dinwiddie had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists, along with 8 rebounds. Mikal Bridges had 13 points and 5 assists, and Nicolas Claxton had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Off the bench, Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, and Day’Ron Sharpe all had 6 points each.
For the Jazz, Sexton had 27 points and 6 assists, Horton-Tucker had 27 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals, Lauri Markkanen had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds, along with 4 assists, and Walker Kessler had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, along with 5 blocks. Off the bench, Ochai Agbaji had 13 points, and John Collins had 11 points.
ZERO hesitation from @24_camthomas pic.twitter.com/M7zr5YpaIQ
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 19, 2023
The losing streak continued back home with a 121 to 102 loss to the New York Knicks. The Knicks were able to break their four-year-long losing streak against the Nets in Brooklyn. The Knicks showed on Wednesday night that they were not going to play second fiddle to the Nets, outplaying the Nets on both sides of the ball. The Nets continued a similar pattern to Monday’s game against the Jazz where they cut down a deficit to single digits, only for the opposing team to become relentless on offense and make the game unwinnable for the Nets. The Knicks increased their deficit after the Nets were trailing 84 to 77. The Knicks proceeded to end the quarter with a few baskets to increase the lead to 90 to 77 heading into the fourth. The Knicks opened the fourth quarter with an 8 to 0 run and made the game unreachable from that point on. Nets coach Jacque Vaughn expressed his frustrations in the postgame interview and stated that both the Nets and Knicks were on the West Coast and had the game amount of rest, acknowledging that the Knicks were the better team that night.
For the Nets, Thomas had 20 points and 5 assists, Cam Johnson had 20 points and 4 rebounds, Bridges had 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals, and Dinwiddie had 10 points. Off the bench, Finney-Smith had 10 points.
For the Knicks, Julius Randle led with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, Donte DiVincenzo had 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals, Jalen Brunson had 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, and RJ Barrett had 14 points and 5 rebounds. Off the bench, Immanuel Quickley had 19 points, and Josh Hart had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
TOUGH bucket
20 points for Cam 📊 pic.twitter.com/niskNj3hOT
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 21, 2023
The Nets take a 122 to 117 loss to the Denver Nuggets, making it their fifth-straight loss thus far. Fortunately for the Nets, it was not a blowout loss in this case, as they fought hard to the end and trailed by one point in the final seconds of the fourth quarter after a four-point play by Thomas. The teams traded fouls and free-throws in the final seconds of the game, with the Nuggets able to come out on top in the end. The Nets loss to the Nuggets made it their third win in a row and their fourth straight win while on the road. Despite the loss, the Nets looked like a balanced team on the floor, getting assists to each other and getting in double-digit figures on the scoreboard. However, their lack of a championship pedigree team like the Nuggets and lack of star players namely Ben Simmons caused the loss for the Nets.
For the Nets, Thomas had 23 points, Johnson had 17 points, Bridges had 14 points and 6 assists, and Claxton had a double-double with 10 points and 16 rebounds, along with 6 assists and 3 blocks. Off the bench, Finney-Smith had 14 points, O’Neale had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks, and Sharpe had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, including 4 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
For the Nuggets, Jamal Murray led with 32 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 2 blocks, Nikola Jokic had a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds, as well as 7 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, Aaron Gordon had 18 points and 5 rebounds, and Michael Porter Jr had 15 point and 4 rebounds. Off the bench, Peyton Watson led with 9 points.
Clax HOOPIN' tonight
10 Pts
14 Rebs
6 Ast
3 BlkVOTE ⭐️ https://t.co/0DAcERJhHq pic.twitter.com/h75fvjuQ0y
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 23, 2023
The Nets finally break their losing streak with a 126 to 115 win over the Detroit Pistons and give them their 26th straight loss. This losing streak is now marked as the worst stretch of basketball in NBA history. The Pistons are inching closer to an unwanted record, nearly tying the record for most consecutive losses which is currently held by the Philadelphia 76ers from the end of the 2014-2015 season and into the 2015-206 season. The Nets were able to score efficiently and turn the Pistons’ turnovers into points as the Pistons had 14 turnovers for the night. Things were turning around for the Nets this time around as when the Pistons trailed by two points in the third quarter, the Nets turned on their jets and scored 10 straight points to create a comfortable lead. It was the consistent turnovers and the Nets turning those turnovers into points that gave them the win for the night, breaking their losing streak and extending the Pistons’.
For the Nets, Bridges led with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists, Thomas had 20 points, Johnson had 18 points and 2 steals, Dinwiddie had 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Claxton had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Off the bench, Sharpe had 11 points, and Finney-Smith had 10 points and 2 steals.
For the Pistons, Jaden Ivey led with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks, Cade Cunningham had 22 points and 6 assists, Isaiah Stewart had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, and Bojan Bogdanovic had 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Off the bench, Kevin Kox II had 14 points.
Final numbers from the W 📊 pic.twitter.com/czawBsDsWU
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 24, 2023
The Nets were finally able to break their losing streak, defeating the worst team in the NBA. Though it is not much, it may give the Nets the momentum they need to get some wins up this week. It’s also a plus for the Nets this week that they will face the Pistons again to begin this week which will most likely start up a winning streak for the Nets that they could hopefully continue for the remainder of the week and climb back up into the standings. Ben Simmons is still out with a back injury and there is no timetable of a return. However, there will be an update on his injury in January.
