The Brooklyn Nets suffered another disappointing loss on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors falling in overtime 114-113 at the Barclay Center.
According to Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily, it also made them the first team since the San Antonio Spurs in the 2012-13 campaign to play in five consecutive games decided by one possession.
And so, the Nets have. become the first team since the 2012-13 Spurs to play five straight games decided by three or fewer points.
In these five contests, the Nets have the misfortune of holding a 2-3 record that includes falling to the Boston Celtic twice over that span. This has also kept them stagnant on the outside looking in for the playoff picture currently sitting six games back of the eighth spot. This latest loss against the Raptors came after veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie received a no-call for the contact made by Serge Ibaka on his dunk attempt at the buzzer in overtime.
Although Brooklyn fell short once again, it has been quite impressive that they have remained afloat despite significant injuries to the backcourt. Offseason addition D'Angelo Russell has been out of the mix for the last several weeks due to a knee injury, which Dinwiddie has stepped in and picked up the slack. Meanwhile, third-year forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has proven to be a reliable scoring option leading the team with 14.6 points per contest.
The imminent return of Russell in the next couple of weeks will shake things up in the backcourt for Dinwiddie, but it brings back their top scoring option. Prior to his knee injury, the 21-year-old was leading the Nets with a career-high 20.9 points on 46.3 percent shooting from the field with 5.7 assists in 12 games played. This includes scoring in double figures in each contest with 20 or more points six times, and two 30-point outings.
With the Nets playing in close contests over the last several games, it could be a sign that they are on the verge of finally breaking through.
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