Nets hope to ‘blaze’ new path in Portland

Brooklyn carries ongoing slump into West Coast swing

January 17, 2024 John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Nets coach Jacque Vaughn is asking for more from players like Spencer Dinwiddie and the rest of his slumping Nets. AP Photo by Michael Wyke

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The last time the Brooklyn Nets saw the Portland Trail Blazers, they had just snapped a season high five-game losing streak and were hoping to build off a homestand-opening win by taking care of business against one of the league’s worst teams.

Instead, they suffered one of their most humbling losses of the campaign to the Blazers and haven’t won since.

“For us not to win this basketball game (is) very disappointing,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn ceded after Portland erased a 10-point, second-half deficit and outplayed Brooklyn in overtime en route to a 134-127 triumph at Barclays Center on Jan. 7.

The Nets (16-23), who had just beaten Oklahoma City two nights earlier on the corner of Atlantic and Flatbush to open the four-game stand, had to fly to Paris and suffer another loss to Cleveland last Thursday, though the contest counted as a Brooklyn home game.

On Monday, the Nets once again found themselves in overtime after blowing a 14-point halftime lead to Miami.

The Heat got a fortunate foul call at the end of OT and Jimmy Butler drained a pair of free throws to hand Brooklyn a 96-95 defeat.

Losers of 13 of their last 16 games, eight of nine and three in a row, the Nets are desperate to regain the form that saw them climb a season-best three games above .500 on Dec. 13.

Now, Brooklyn is a season-worst seven games below the break-even mark and Vaughn hasn’t been able to right the ship despite his undying encouragement and belief in his unit.

After the loss to Miami in Brooklyn on Monday, he got a touch more stern with a team that has dropped into 10th place in the Eastern Conference race, leaving it in a tie with Atlanta for the final play-in tournament slot.

“We’re just in a position right now where you have to perform, and that’s across the board,” Vaughn said.

“That’s a challenge to the entire group from the beginning of the game to the end to be locked in and give everything you have on both ends of the floor.”

Rookie Scoot Henderson is coming off a career-best performance last weekend as the Blazers prepare to host the Nets in Portland Wednesday. AP Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

The youthful, rebuilding Blazers (10-29) haven’t won since leaving Brooklyn either.

Rookie Scott Henderson poured in a career-high 33 points and handed out nine assists on Sunday, but Portland dropped a 126-116 decision to visiting Phoenix.

Down to just eight available players due to either injury or illness, the Blazers pulled within four points in the fourth quarter, but were unable to overcome injuries to regulars like Deandre Ayton (knee), Ibou Badji (hip) Malcolm Brogdon (adductor soreness) and Shaedon Sharpe (adductor soreness).

“We were incredibly undermanned, obviously, in the game, but I told the guys, `Play fast, play fun, share the ball and help each other on defense. Just play free.′ And they did that and it was just fun,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said.

“It was fun watching them, it was fun coaching. So many guys played well.”

Brogdon scored eight of his 18 points during OT in the Blazers’ win at Brooklyn a little over a week ago.

“We definitely needed it,” Brogdon said that afternoon at Barclays. “To pull a win like this out, this is a team competing for a playoff spot, it’s a really good win for us.”

The Nets might not be in the thick of any postseason race at this point, but they would benefit greatly from a “good win” or two on this three-game road trip, which continues Friday night in Los Angeles against LeBron James and the Lakers.

“That’s just where we are as a team. I’m going to put guys out there to perform,” Vaughn noted after indicating that lineup changes might be afoot if Brooklyn doesn’t find a way to snap out of its malaise.

Mikal Bridges and the Nets were swarmed by Miami on Monday at Barclays Center, suffering a heartbreaking overtime loss. AP Photo by Mary Altaffer

NOTHING BUT NET: Mikal Bridges scored 42 points against the Blazers in the last meeting, including a jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining to force overtime. Bridges struck again late in regulation against Miami on Monday, making two from the charity stripe with 4.4 ticks left to force OT. … After visiting the Lakers on Friday, the Nets will take on the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday afternoon. … Henderson, the third overall pick by Portland in the 2023 NBA Draft, had 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting in his first encounter with the Nets.