The Brooklyn Nets fell 121-102 to the New York Knicks Wednesday at Barclays Center. The blowout loss comes after a disappointing 1-4 West Coast swing from head coach Jacque Vaughn's squad.
Here are three key takeaways from another lackluster Nets performance:
Cam Johnson bounces back after disappointing road trip
Johnson could not find his rhythm during Brooklyn's disappointing road trip, averaging 12.0 points per game on 40.7 percent shooting. After missing the entire preseason and eight of Brooklyn's first nine games due to hamstring and calf strains, the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter has yet to live up to his four-year, $94.5 million contract early this year.
Johnson bounced back from his West Coast struggles against the Knicks, scoring a team-high 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from three.
Following his trade to Brooklyn last season, the 27-year-old averaged 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals on 47.5 percent shooting. He was also the Nets' most efficient source of offense during their first-round series against Philadelphia, averaging 18.5 points on 50.9 percent shooting from the field and 42.9 percent from three (7.0 attempts per game).
Johnson regaining that production level would go a long way for a Nets team battling injuries.
Brooklyn's transition defense nowhere to be found
After entering the season with a supposed defensive identity, the Nets have been a major disappointment on that end 1/3 of the way through the year. Brooklyn entered Wednesday's matchup with the 21st-ranked defense in the NBA.
Those deficiencies were glaring again against New York, particularly in transition. The Knicks routinely beat Brooklyn down the floor, scoring 21 fastbreak points, 14 of which came in the first half, while generating consistent looks at the rim.
Tom Thibodeau's squad shot 44-of-95 from the field (46.3 percent) and 13-of-33 from three (39.4 percent) for the game. Julius Randle led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting, Donte DiVincenzo added 23, and Immanuel Quickley chipped in 19 off the bench.
Following Cam Thomas' nine-game absence due to an ankle sprain early this season, head coach Jacque Vaughn inserted the third-year guard in the starting lineup alongside point guard Spencer Dinwiddie. That duo has struggled to get stops alongside Mikal Bridges, Johnson and Nic Claxton. During their five-game road trip, Brooklyn ranked 26th in defensive rating, allowing 123.2 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 44.0 percent from three.
Vaughn's decision to re-insert Thomas into the starting unit moved Dorian Finney-Smith, one of Brooklyn's top defenders and rebounders, to the bench. In addition to his strengths defensively, Finney-Smith was shooting a career-high 45.4 percent from three on 6.0 attempts per game over 17 starts. That number has dropped to 36.7 percent on 3.7 attempts per game since his move to the bench.
Mikal Bridges' struggles continue
Following a career-best stretch during which the Nets won six of seven, Bridges came crashing down to earth during Brooklyn's disappointing West Coast swing, averaging 16.6 points on 35.6 percent shooting.
Those struggles reached another level against the Knicks, with Bridges scoring 15 points on 4-of-21 shooting from the field and 1-of-8 from three with two assists and three turnovers.
Bridges was at the center of a momentum-shifting sequence at the end of the third quarter. After trailing by as much as 20, Brooklyn had cut the New York lead to nine with under two minutes left in the frame. The ball found Bridges for a wide-open corner three to cut it to six. However, he missed, and Julius Randle scored on the other end to extend the lead to 11.
The Nets would never get closer, with the Knicks extending the lead early in the fourth quarter and cruising to victory.
The loss drops Brooklyn to 13-14 on the season. Things won't get any easier Friday when the Nets play host to the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
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