Many expected the Brooklyn Nets to drop off significantly with Kevin Durant out due to injury, and it's not hard to see why. When Durant went down injured last year, the Nets fell off a cliff. They went 5-16 during that stretch, including an 11-game losing streak. However, Kyrie Irving and the Nets, despite their 137-133 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, are putting up a better fight this year without their star forward.

Even without Durant, the Nets still have plenty of offensive firepower to keep up with the best of them. The Sixers discovered this firsthand. Led by a 32-point night from Seth Curry and a 30-point effort from Irving, the Nets went on to make 49 of their 76 field-goal attempts on the night, good for a blistering 64.5 percent shooting from the field.

And in doing so, Kyrie Irving and the Nets ended up making a piece of history. After their smoldering shooting performance, the Nets put up the third best field-goal percentage in a loss in NBA history, trailing only two such games from the 1981-82 Chicago Bulls, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The 81-82 Bulls did not yet have Michael Jordan; the presence of Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore and two-time All-Star Reggie Theus were not enough to make them a competitive team at that juncture. It was on November 29 and December 2, 1981 when the Bulls pulled off the inexplicable. They shot 64.8 and 70.5 percent from the field, respectively, during those games, which inexplicably ended in defeat.

Suffice to say, it's truly difficult to win in the NBA. A team could shoot as well as the Nets and those Bulls did, and still be unable to come out on top due to some defensive miscues, rebounding/free-throw disparity, and carelessness with the basketball.

But at the very least, this kind of offensive outburst should give Kyrie Irving and the Nets some solace that they can hold the fort just fine without Kevin Durant.