For three quarters vs. the New York Knicks on Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets showed what many thought they could be this season. Then the fourth came, and they showed what they are: A flawed basketball team.

Mikal Bridges did his best to carry the load for the Nets during a 105-93 loss at Madison Square Garden. The Villanova product posted a game-high 18 points and four assists on 7-of-11 shooting through three periods. Defensively, he did an outstanding job on Jalen Brunson, who finished with 17 points on 7-of-24 shooting.

However, Bridges ran out of gas late, and Brooklyn's offense sputtered once again. After tying the game at 80 on the opening possession of the fourth quarter, the Nets missed 11 straight shots over eight minutes, allowing the Knicks to go on a 22-4 run. They turned the ball over four times while allowing three offensive rebounds during that span.

New York, the NBA's top offensive-rebounding team, frequently outworked Brooklyn, grabbing 16 offensive boards on their way to a 26-3 second-chance points advantage. Following the loss, Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie called out his team's lack of effort.

“They just wanted it more, and you can see it. That's why we're where we're at,” Ollie said. “They went with every offensive rebound, got every offensive rebound, got every loose ball… We can't turn the ball over and we can't have the second-chance points. We do not have a margin of error like that… We were in this game, but then in the fourth quarter when they ratcheted it up, we have to be able to keep our gloves on and keep swinging. We didn't do that today.

“[We have to have] competitive stamina. We have to stay competitive,” he continued. “We have to double down on the small things… We don't have the depth we don't have — I'm not gonna say the talent level, but we don't have the superstar, we don't have that. So we have to be a collective group, we've got to play together, we got to do everything together.”

Nets lacking star power and hustle

Nets' Mikal Bridges anfd Knicks' Jalen Brunson
3/23/24

Brooklyn's lack of high-level offensive creators undoubtedly remains their top issue. Cam Thomas came back to earth Saturday following a season-best scoring stretch. He shot 6-of-14 from the field and 1-of-5 from three with five turnovers, finishing a team-worst minus-29. Brooklyn has been unsuccessful in getting Bridges and Thomas going simultaneously throughout the year.

However, for a team lacking star power, the Nets' effort has left much to be desired. The hustle numbers do not tell a story of a team attempting to save its season, but rather one looking toward the summer. Over the last nine games (1-8), Brooklyn ranks 25th in opponent points in the paint, 27th in defensive rebound percentage, 25th in deflections and 23rd in loose balls recovered.

“I agree. There’s gotta be kind of like a line drawn in the sand,” Cam Johnson said in response to Ollie's comments on the team's hustle. “It’s just kind of one thing that leads to another that just piles up negatively. And it’s something that we’re susceptible to, something that happens to us often, but we don’t bounce back from it well.”

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The end is near for Brooklyn

The Nets' season is coming to a merciful close following an abysmal second half. Since December 14th, Brooklyn has posted a 13-35 record, tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for fifth-worst in the league.

Following their sixth straight loss Saturday, the Nets sit five games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the Eastern Conference's final play-in spot with 11 games remaining. And while he didn't have an explanation for his team's lack of effort, Ollie said he'll continue coaching until the season's final buzzer.

“I have no idea, but I'm not going to run away from the responsibility of coaching,” he insisted. “I'm gonna keep coaching, we can't make no trades, we don't want to trade nobody, can't do it. This is the group we have, and they're gonna do it these next 11 games.

“I told you, they got everything to play for. Don't go in the locker room and get in a pity party saying you don't have nothing to play for. You got everything to play for. You got your pride to play for, and that's my message to them, and I'm gonna keep coaching 'em, and I'm not gonna run away from responsibility.”