Nets coach denies ‘night off’ mentality

Vaughn defends resting starters after home loss to Bucks

December 28, 2023 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Rookie Jalen Wilson and the undermanned Nets hung tough with the Bucks, but utimately waned in the fourth quarter Wednesday in Brooklyn. AP Photo by Peter K. Afriyie

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DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Jacque Vaughn didn’t want to hear it.

After being asked whether he was willing to cede victory for the welfare of his weary regulars following Brooklyn’s 144-122 loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday in front of 18,199 fans at Barclays Center, the Nets’ head coach took offense.

Both for his participating players and his decision to rest starters Nic Claxton, Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Johnson, as well as top reserve Dorian Finney-Smith.

“I have too much respect for the dudes that suit up and put their body on the line and the competition level to even mention the word exhibition,” Vaughn insisted.

He certainly made his point clear.

After holding off the league-worst Pistons to hand Detroit its NBA record 27th straight loss a night earlier, Vaughn knew his players needed a breather.

Brooklyn was playing its second back-to-back in less than a week, and that was after the Nets returned from a five-game West Coast swing.

“Any guy could have ended their career tonight by one play and so I treat it as such,” he said. “It is an honor, it is, I don’t know, a sense of gratitude that you do this for a living and you never, ever underestimate that. If you do, you’ll pay for it.”

The reshuffled rotation did its best to keep the Central Division-leading Bucks (23-8) at bay.

Rookie Jalen Wilson piled up 21 points and 10 rebounds, drilling all 11 of his free throws, Trendon Watford added 17 points and Dennis Smith Jr. and first-year forward Noah Clowney added 14 apiece for Brooklyn (15-16).

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn defended his decision to rest his starters Wednesday night after a loss to the visiting Bucks. AP Photo by Peter K. Afriyie

The Nets evened the game at 81-81 on Smith Jr.’s layup with just under five minutes left in the third quarter, but the Bucks ended the period on a 9-2 run and never looked back.

“They competed hard,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished with 32 points on 10-of-12 shooting with 10 rebounds and eight assists as Milwaukee won for the eighth time in its last nine games.

“I don’t know most of them but definitely I’ll learn them after today because they made it extremely, extremely tough for us.”

Making matters more difficult was Vaughn’s decision to limit the playing time of Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, the team’s top-two scorers.

Bridges, who has yet to sit out a game in his career, scored six points and Thomas put up eight, but neither logged a minute after the opening quarter.

“At the end of the night. I didn’t want them, you know, touching 40 minutes again,” Vaughn noted. “So that’s really what it boiled down to.”

The Nets, who are finally getting healthy after suffering through a myriad of injuries to both starters and key reserves during the first 30 games of the campaign, also got 12 points each from Armoni Brooks and Keon Johnson.

None of it added up to a win on a night fans were probably hoping to see the Nets play at full strength against a bonafide NBA title contender on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush, but Vaughn’s caution may pay long-term dividends.

“They knew they were kind of undermanned but I think Jacque’s doing a phenomenal job there,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said in defense of his colleague.

“But we took care of business.”

The Nets will try to do the same when they open a four-game trip in Washington on Friday night.

Trendon Watford scored 17 points, but the Nets were unable to post a third straight win Wednesday night at Downtown’s Barclays Center. AP Photo by Peter K. Afriyie

NOTHING BUT NET: After visiting the Wizards, the Nets will be in Oklahoma City on New Year’s Eve before going to New Orleans on Tuesday and Houston on Wednesday. Brooklyn will be back Downtown on Jan. 5 to host the Thunder. … Smith Jr. made his first start as a Net and went 7-of-17 from the field and handed out eight assists to go with seven rebounds. … The Nets are 2-0 vs. Washington (5-25) this season, including a 124-97 rout in Brooklyn on Dec. 8. The Wizards will be out to snap a three-game skid Friday.