Brooklyn Boro

Sagging Nets lack energy in loss to Spurs

Suffer Humbling 112-86 Loss to Perennial NBA Contenders at Barclays

January 24, 2017 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Brook Lopez and the rest of the Nets were a step too slow and lacked the energy to seriously compete with the shorthanded San Antonio Spurs at Downtown’s Barclays Center on Monday night. AP photo
Share this:

The Nets learned Monday morning that they wouldn’t have point guard Jeremy Lin back in action for at least another three to five weeks.

Then they got a glimpse into how long they’ll have to wait to even begin resembling an NBA contender.

Despite facing a San Antonio team without four regulars, including a pair of surefire Hall of Famers and a former Finals MVP, Brooklyn was beaten badly from start to finish en route to a humbling 112-86 loss to the shorthanded Spurs in front of 16,643 paying customers at Downtown’s Barclays Center.

“For whatever reason we didn’t come out with the energy and that’s one thing that our team, I will say, usually brings,” Nets first-year head coach Kenny Atkinson readily admitted following the Nets’ 13th loss in 14 games and eighth in a row at home.

“Tonight we didn’t bring it. I am disappointed. I am disappointed for the fans.”

The first disappointment of the day occurred prior to the team’s morning shoot-around, when it was announced that Lin, who missed 17 games earlier this season with a left-hamstring injury, would continue to sit out with a re-aggravation of the same ailment.

“During the course of his rehab, Jeremy re-aggravated his strained left hamstring and will be out approximately three to five weeks as he continues to work toward a full recovery,” Nets general manager Sean Marks revealed.

“We understand and appreciate Jeremy’s competitive desire to get back on the court with his teammates, however, we are going to be cautious with his rehab in order to ensure that he is at full strength once he returns.”

Lin initially re-injured the hamstring on Dec. 26, and was optimistically listed as day-to-day when the Nets insisted the severity of the strain was not as bad as the one he’d suffered back on Nov. 2.

But he hasn’t played since, watching from the bench as Brooklyn endured a season-high, 11-game skid before a rousing 143-114 victory in New Orleans on Friday night, followed by Saturday’s 112-105 loss in Charlotte.

Then came Monday’s no-show against the Spurs (35-9), the team Marks won NBA titles with as both a player and assistant coach during his decade-plus with the storied franchise.

Even with Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kawhi Leonard and Pau Gasol sidelined, the Spurs used a 25-9 run spanning the second and third quarters to put the NBA-worst Nets (9-25) away early.

“Their energy was at a whole other level than ours,” Atkinson ceded.

“No excuses. We had to handle three games in four days, that’s what it is. I think we fought in New Orleans, fought in Charlotte. Tonight we just didn’t have the requisite energy.”

Nor the requisite manpower.

Rookie Isaiah Whitehead scored a career-high 19 points and Sean Kilpatrick added 17 for Brooklyn, which was also without rookie Caris LeVert due to a foot injury.

The Nets were also outrebounded, 50-38, by the Spurs, who got 20 points from Patty Mills and 16 from LaMarcus Aldridge.

“Our depth is one of our strengths and everybody’s ready to play, and of course [head coach Gregg Popovich] makes it very clear what he expects out of us out there, whether it’s the first-team guys or the role players doing that,” said San Antonio forward David Lee, who finished with 15 points.

Brook Lopez was held to 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with only four rebounds in 21 minutes for Brooklyn, which will host Miami here on Wednesday before opening a three-game road trip Friday night against LeBron James and the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nothing But Net: The annual “Make a Deal for Brook” murmurs have already begun on the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues. With Brooklyn not benefitting in any way from its league-worst record due to Boston owning its first-round pick this coming June, Marks was asked if sitting Lopez to keep him healthy for a potential February trade deadline deal may be a prudent decision. “If things come up that make sense for us to move on, and that’s got nothing to do with Brook, that’s got to do with anybody, then we’ll take a look at it,” Marks said … Spencer Dinwiddie continued to provide a spark for Brooklyn, scoring 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting as the Nets’ injury-depleted backcourt forced him into the starting lineup for the sixth consecutive game … Lin, who was signed to a three-year, $36 million contract this past summer and expected to be Atkinson’s quarterback on the hardwood, has played in only 12 games thus far this season. He is unlikely to return prior to the All-Star break, which will begin for Brooklyn following a Feb. 15 game against Milwaukee here at Barclays.

Subscribe to our newsletters


Leave a Comment


Leave a Comment