Nets' Late Surge Falls Short in 119-111 Loss to Mavericks
The Brooklyn Nets' young team came up short once again, this time falling victim to a late-game collapse against the Dallas Mavericks. The Nets' inability to close out games has become a recurring theme for the young squad, and it's one that coach Jordi Fernández is determined to address.
After trailing 65-59 at halftime, Brooklyn mounted a 19-8 run to take a 78-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, it was in the final stretch where things fell apart. The Nets shot just 6-for-21 overall and 2-for-9 from deep in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 29-19 and ultimately falling 119-111.
Michael Porter Jr. put on a show for the Mavericks' fans, scoring a game-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough to will his team to victory. Porter hit a crucial three-pointer with just over three minutes remaining to tie the score at 110-all, but Brooklyn's offense imploded from there, going 0-for-6 with two turnovers down the stretch.
"It's a different brand of basketball in the last quarter," Porter said. "You've got to hold your spots a little better, be more aggressive. Guys are going to get away with more holding, so just being strong and decisive."
Fernández echoed Porter's sentiments, placing the blame for the loss squarely on the team's defensive rebounding and transition defense. The Nets' inability to contain Mavericks' star Anthony Davis in the second half also proved costly.
Davis scored 20 of his 24 points after halftime, while Mavericks guard Cooper Flagg had a dominant game with 22 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's Egor Dëmin was limited to just three points in 18:20 of playing time, further exacerbating the team's injury woes.
The Nets' loss drops them to 6-18 on the season, leaving them tied for third place in the lottery odds behind only Oklahoma City (via the Clippers), Sacramento, and Indiana. With the playoff picture still very much up in the air, Brooklyn will need to regroup and refocus if they hope to turn their season around.
"We've been better lately," Fernández said. "A good team rebounding the ball and a good team in transition defense. And we couldn't get it done [Friday]."
Fernández also issued a stern warning to Dëmin, who has struggled with consistency and readiness throughout the season. "He was trying to fix mistakes by trying to make things happen," Fernández said. "And this is not how you want to do things. I need him to play with better readiness and better physicality."
For now, though, the Nets will have to live with the bitter taste of defeat, and the knowledge that their young team still has a long way to go before they can be considered true contenders in the NBA.
The Brooklyn Nets' young team came up short once again, this time falling victim to a late-game collapse against the Dallas Mavericks. The Nets' inability to close out games has become a recurring theme for the young squad, and it's one that coach Jordi Fernández is determined to address.
After trailing 65-59 at halftime, Brooklyn mounted a 19-8 run to take a 78-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. However, it was in the final stretch where things fell apart. The Nets shot just 6-for-21 overall and 2-for-9 from deep in the fourth quarter, getting outscored 29-19 and ultimately falling 119-111.
Michael Porter Jr. put on a show for the Mavericks' fans, scoring a game-high 34 points, but it wasn't enough to will his team to victory. Porter hit a crucial three-pointer with just over three minutes remaining to tie the score at 110-all, but Brooklyn's offense imploded from there, going 0-for-6 with two turnovers down the stretch.
"It's a different brand of basketball in the last quarter," Porter said. "You've got to hold your spots a little better, be more aggressive. Guys are going to get away with more holding, so just being strong and decisive."
Fernández echoed Porter's sentiments, placing the blame for the loss squarely on the team's defensive rebounding and transition defense. The Nets' inability to contain Mavericks' star Anthony Davis in the second half also proved costly.
Davis scored 20 of his 24 points after halftime, while Mavericks guard Cooper Flagg had a dominant game with 22 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Brooklyn's Egor Dëmin was limited to just three points in 18:20 of playing time, further exacerbating the team's injury woes.
The Nets' loss drops them to 6-18 on the season, leaving them tied for third place in the lottery odds behind only Oklahoma City (via the Clippers), Sacramento, and Indiana. With the playoff picture still very much up in the air, Brooklyn will need to regroup and refocus if they hope to turn their season around.
"We've been better lately," Fernández said. "A good team rebounding the ball and a good team in transition defense. And we couldn't get it done [Friday]."
Fernández also issued a stern warning to Dëmin, who has struggled with consistency and readiness throughout the season. "He was trying to fix mistakes by trying to make things happen," Fernández said. "And this is not how you want to do things. I need him to play with better readiness and better physicality."
For now, though, the Nets will have to live with the bitter taste of defeat, and the knowledge that their young team still has a long way to go before they can be considered true contenders in the NBA.
gotta step up our defense and offense, it's not rocket science but somehow we keep messing it up 
coach fernández needs to give those players a big break or they'rea gonna lose all trust 
I don't get why they can't close out games 
. They had it in the 4th quarter, but then just froze 
. Coach Fernández needs to do some serious coaching adjustments 
and players need to step up their game 
. Egor Dëmin has gotta shake off those injury woes 
and Michael Porter Jr.'s 3-pointer was not enough to save the team 
. The Nets have got some work to do if they wanna be contenders 
... They had it all figured out after halftime but then just gave up in the 4th quarter 
. Coach Fernández is saying they need to work on their defensive rebounding and transition defense, but how hard can that be? 
I mean, teams are supposed to focus on getting that one big win before the season is over. It feels like they're just phoning it in right now 
.
. Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. is just putting on a show for everyone else 
. I'm still rooting for the Mavericks, but this Brooklyn team is just so frustrating to watch 
.
It's like they were waiting for someone else to do it for them 
. They can't keep falling short when they have the talent to be a good team 
but can't seem to close out 
and its all about defense for him 
. michael porter jr put up some sick numbers tho 
but the nets just can't seem to hold onto games... 
gotta put in the work 
6-18 is like whoa lol what's happenin to them? coach fernández gotta step up his game rn. egor dinem was straight garbage 3 points in 18 min 
. jordi fernández gotta do somethin diff w/ dis squad or dey gonna keep losin 
So I'm watching this game and I see the Nets have some young talent but they just can't seem to close out games... 
. It's like they're playing two different teams - one that's actually trying hard and another that's just phoning it in at the end of the game 
19-8 run was awesome but 0-for-6 with two turnovers in final stretch is crazy what's going on with egor demin tho? 
