The Brooklyn Nets entered New Orleans Tuesday amidst a downward spiral. Just when it felt like the team couldn't fall any further, the Pelicans caved in the Nets' floor with a 112-85 drubbing at Smoothie King Center.
New Orleans jumped out to a 16-3 advantage and did not look back, leading by as many as 32 points while coasting to victory. Head coach Willie Green's squad scored 59 points on 23-of-44 shooting (52.3 percent) in the first half.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn scored 58 points on 22-of-67 shooting (32.8 percent) through three quarters, the fewest by any NBA team this season. The Nets' backcourt duo of Cam Thomas and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for zero points on 0-of-17 shooting, while their wing duo of Dorian Finney-Smith and Royce O'Neale scored three points on 1-of-12 shooting.
Following the embarrassing defeat, Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn called his team's performance “concerning.”
“For me, it is how we responded. I was very concerned with how we responded,” Vaughn said of New Orleans' quick start. “We've been a team that's been able to step up to challenges. We didn't do a lot of things well tonight. We didn't shoot the basketball well, we didn't rebound the basketball well, we had no physicality tonight.”
“[The Pelicans] are longer and stronger, so therein lies the will to get it done and the will to do your part and get outside of yourself. If you're really desperate about winning, then you dive on the floor, you'll do it all. You'll get cuts and bruises and you'll go home sore. We're not there yet. It's just simple as that.”
Nets' struggles reach new low
The loss marks the Nets' fourth-straight loss and ninth in 11 games, seven of which have come by double-figures. Brooklyn ranks 27th in net rating during that span, posting the NBA's lowest effective field goal percentage (49.7) while allowing the fourth-highest (57.9).
The Nets' identity early this season centered on a nightly advantage at the three-point line. However, Tuesday's loss was another example of Brooklyn's regression in that area. Vaughn's squad allowed the Pelicans—who rank 26th in made threes this season (11.4 per game)—to shoot 10-of-20 from deep in the first half.
Brooklyn converted on 11-of-43 threes (25.6 percent) for the night.
The Nets have allowed opponents to shoot 43.3 percent from three over the last 13 games, the NBA's highest percentage. Meanwhile, Brooklyn ranks 26th in three-point percentage (34.1), making 3.2 fewer per game than opponents, a 9.6-point difference each night.
Following the no-show in New Orleans, Cam Johnson admitted the team's recent struggles have taken a toll.
“Sometimes when you're in a rut like this, it wears on you,” Johnson told the New York Post's Brian Lewis. “We need to shed it. I think we need to shed it and just focus on being the team that we know we are, get that weight off our shoulders.”
The Nets won't have to wait long for an opportunity to shed that weight as they'll travel to Houston Wednesday for a meeting with the Rockets.
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