The Brooklyn Nets were riding high following a 4-2 stretch during which they played their best basketball of the season. However, the rebuilding squad came crashing back to earth during a 106-95 loss to the Miami Heat on Thursday. The matchup was the first of a six-game slate that could vault the Nets back into the mix atop the NBA's tank race.
Brooklyn's 4-2 stretch, which featured all six matchups against teams with losing records, dropped the team to sixth place in the draft lottery standings. The Nets sit 1.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Los Angeles Clippers, who are tied for third. They're 2.0 behind the New Orleans Pelicans for second and 2.5 behind the Washington Wizards for first.
While Brooklyn has lost ground amid its recent success, four of its next five games following the Heat loss are against teams with winning records.
Nets stumble during first test of difficult upcoming schedule
The Nets will face the Toronto Raptors (17-11), Philadelphia 76ers (14-11), Minnesota Timberwolves (17-10), and Houston Rockets (16-8) during the upcoming stretch. Their only matchup against a losing team will come against the Golden State Warriors (13-15).
“I don’t look at the schedule that much that way,” Fernandez said when asked about preparing his young team for the step up in competition. “Right now, we start a new stretch of five games, and it starts tonight at home, and finding a way to compete for four quarters, get better. I think we’ve played against good teams. Again, this is the best league in the world, and all these teams are very good. It doesn’t matter where they are right now, all those players are very special. We’ve done a good job competing and getting better, and now that’s what we’re expecting to do during this next set of five games. Try to get 3-2 or better.”
Fernandez's squad struggled mightily on Thursday vs. the Heat. They were held in check by Miami's third-ranked defense, shooting 38-of-98 (38.8 percent) from the field and 11-of-49 (22.4 percent) from three.
The Nets' offense will face another difficult test on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors' seventh-ranked defense.
