The Nets had a tough week and took two losses this past week, but snapped a three-loss streak after a win over the Miami Heat who were without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. They go into this week with a record of 7-8 that places them at 11th in the East Standings. The Nets are still without Ben Simmons or Cam Thomas, which leaves them without a primary starting point guard and a secondary scorer.
In a game that started off close that went to complete derailment for the Nets as they took a devastating 121-99 loss to the 76ers on The Philadelphia 76ers took off all the breaks after the first quarter where they took a 23-7 run to the Nets, which turned a three-point deficit into a 12-point deficit.
The Nets struggled from the very beginning, starting with going one for seven from the field. Luckily, they were able to come back near the end of the first quarter with an 8-2 run to cut their deficit down and trail 23-22 to end the quarter.
The Nets were able to continue this momentum by going on a 16-5 run to create a 42-38 lead. However, the 76ers seemed to have been able to figure out the Nets midway through the second quarter as they took over for the rest of the game and gave the Nets a hard time on the floor.
The Nets had very little answer against the 76ers, so much that they created seven turnovers in the 3rd quarter. The 76ers were able to create a high enough deficit to cruise through the fourth quarter and take the dominant win over the Nets.
For the Nets, Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 18 points, while Spencer Dinwiddie had 12 points, four rebounds and five assists. Nicolas Claxton had 10 points and nine rebounds. Off the bench, Lonnie Walker IV led with 26 points and six rebounds.
For the 76ers, Joel Embiid had a near triple-double with 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. Tyrese Maxey also had a double-double with 25 points and 10 assists. De’Anthony Melton had 21 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Tobias Harris had 10 points, five rebounds and two steals. Off the bench, Jaden Springer led with 10 points and five rebounds.
Final from BK. pic.twitter.com/3gJhr873jX
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 19, 2023
The Nets lost in an overtime thriller against the Atlanta Hawks in a 147-145 loss in their next game. They could not find ways to contain Trae Young, who scored 19 of his season-high of 43 points in the first quarter. Young was also unstoppable from the perimeter, making six 3-pointers in the first quarter as well.
The Nets fought just as hard on the offensive side of things, as Bridges tied his season-high scoring with 45 points, but they were not enough to take a close win over the Hawks. The Nets were able to come back from a 12-point deficit they created in the first quarter, which took until the third quarter to catch up to the deficit as the Hawks kept answering back with their offense.
Both teams kept trading leads in the fourth quarter up until the end where Young was able to tie the game up with a free-throw at 131 to go into overtime. In the closing seconds, a mid-ranger by Young put them up by a point, along with a key block by Onyeka Okongwu to a layup by Bridges helped seal the close win. The Nets attempted to clutch and send the game into double overtime with a mid-range shot by Walker IV, but it was nothing an airball as the Hawks were able to claim the victory in this close game.
For the Nets, Bridges had a double-double with 45 points and 10 rebounds, including four assists and two steals. Dinwiddie had a double-double with 26 points and 12 assists, along with six rebounds. Cam Johnson had 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Claxton had a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Off the bench, Walker IV led with eight points.
For the Hawks, Young had 43 points, nine assists and two steals. De’Andre Hunter had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds, along with two blocks. Dejounte Murray also had a 20-point game, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, eight assists and two steals, while Clint Capela had a double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds, including three blocks. Off the bench, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 14 points and four rebounds, while Okongwu had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Saddiq Bey finished up with 12 points.
Tied his career-high 👏
Big-time effort from @mikal_bridges pic.twitter.com/mXFEVWezJh
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 23, 2023
The Nets managed to squeeze out a 112-97 victory against the Miami Heat, who were without Jimmy Butler or Bam Adebayo who were out due to rest. They were able to get their momentum going throughout the game and did not have to worry about an offensive juggernaut like Butler on the floor that night. Bridges and Johnson led the Nets to victory with their high percentage scoring, being 50% from the field that night and had everything clicking on both sides of the ball.
The Heat were also without Duncan Robinson who was out with a sprained thumb suffered in the previous game against the New York Knicks. The Nets scored relentlessly throughout the game, with 10 3-pointers in the first half, and extending a 16-point lead entering the fourth quarter into a 21 point lead. The Nets were able to safely get the win and snap their 3-game losing streak.
For the Nets, Bridges had 24 points, six rebounds and two steals, while Johnson had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with five assists and two steals. Dorian Finney-Smith had 16 points and five rebounds, while Dinwiddie also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 assists. Nicolas Claxton had 13 points, six rebounds and two steals. Off the bench, Walker IV led with eight points.
For the Heat, Jaime Jaquez Jr had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Josh Richardson had 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. Off the bench, Caleb Martin led with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Cole Swider had 11 points.
Team effort.
Team win. pic.twitter.com/KlGQmHMzKy— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 26, 2023
The Nets limped through this week with two straight losses, but managed to snap their losing streak against most of the starters for the Miami Heat. They struggle to maintain their momentum coming out of the second half and continue to eat up losses. It seems that teams easily take over coming out of the second half and figure out the Nets, whereas the Nets aren’t able to get it together and find out different schemes to prevent losses.
They also fail to contain all-star level players which has seemed to be a persistent problem since the beginning of the season. It’s clear and obvious the Nets need the rest of the team to be healthy to climb up the standings which currently has them place at 11th in the East, making it a long climb for them to get out of.
