Wednesday saw the Brooklyn Nets struggling at Madison Square Garden, and by Sunday, their troubles had traveled with them to the Intuit Dome. Despite the change in location, the outcome remained unchanged.
The Nets suffered a crushing 126-89 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night, marking their fifth consecutive loss. This slump has dragged their record down to 12-32, as they continue to spiral, losing 10 of their last 11 games. After impressing with top defensive stats in December, Brooklyn has unfortunately reverted to being one of the NBA’s weakest teams.
From Wednesday’s debacle to Sunday’s drubbing, the Nets have been unable to stem the tide. Their shooting was dismal at just 33.7% in Inglewood, including a meager 9-for-43 from beyond the arc. They committed 17 turnovers and surrendered numerous easy points in the paint, trailing by as much as 40 points at one stage.
“You can lose, and you can be a loser,” head coach Jordi Fernández remarked. “For 18 minutes, we lost and were competitive. For the remaining 30, we were losers. We need to decide on our identity and what we want to become.”
The Clippers quickly established dominance, leading in paint points 12-2 by the 8:29 mark of the first quarter, forcing Brooklyn to call an early timeout with a 12-5 deficit. A brief rally followed, with Terance Mann nailing Brooklyn’s second 3-pointer after a tribute video played for him, and Michael Porter Jr. adding two free throws to reach double digits. Yet, the momentum was short-lived.
Stuck on 10 points until Day’Ron Sharpe broke the drought with an offensive rebound and putback at the 3:07 mark, the Nets watched as the Clippers unleashed a 15-2 run. James Harden led the charge as a prolific scorer, reminiscent of his performance during the previous matchup at Barclays Center, where the Clippers secured a 121-105 victory on January 9th.
The Nets suffered a 59-point loss when they visited Intuit Dome last season, the worst in franchise history. This one got away early, too. Brooklyn trailed 38-14 after one, shot 4-for-20 from the field with six turnovers and did it all shorthanded without Noah Clowney (back soreness), Cam Thomas (left ankle sprain) and Nolan Traore (illness).
Harden (14) and Kawhi Leonard (21) combined for 35 first-half points, just two shy of what the Nets could manage over 24 minutes with an 11-man rotation. Los Angeles held Brooklyn to 27.9% shooting, turned nine Nets turnovers into eight points and went into the break with 68 points on 54.5% shooting.
Early in the third, John Collins shoved Egor Dëmin after the rookie wrapped up Harden on a fastbreak. Mann immediately stepped in and returned the shove, exchanging words with Collins as he did it, a veteran sticking up for the rookie. Collins and Mann were both assessed technical fouls, and Dëmin responded by scoring 12 straight points after opening 0-for-4.
Brooklyn edged the quarter 29-28 behind Dëmin’s 3-for-6 shooting, but the Nets still faced a 30-point hole entering the fourth. The 19-year-old was the lone Brooklyn player in double figures through three quarters.
Porter was held to just nine points, and outside of Dëmin, fellow rookie Danny Wolf was the only other Net in double figures, finishing with 14 points off the bench on 3-for-13 shooting.
Leonard scored a game-high 28 points, adding five rebounds and two assists in just 25 minutes, fueling a 56.4% shooting night for the Clippers.
The Nets will try to wash their hands of this latest blowout as the road trip continues Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center.
