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The Nets went from a Huge 3 to a Huge 1 to a rag-tag group of the one 9 wholesome our bodies on their roster Wednesday evening.
The group with no famous person — their final one standing at residence, James Harden, was a late scratch with hamstring tightness — held its personal and even led by 11 at halftime earlier than succumbing to the Nuggets, 124-118, within the second half of a back-to-back at Barclays Middle.
The sport was tied 99-99 early within the fourth quarter and the Nets had been nonetheless as shut as 116-113 with beneath 4 minutes to go, however they ran out of gasoline late and missed key free throws whereas Nikola Jokic sank his to ice the sport.
“Particulars, simply particulars,” coach Steve Nash mentioned after the Nets dropped their third straight. “However pleased with the fellows for the exercise. The response 24 hours later [after losing to the Lakers on Tuesday] was nice. However particulars [hurt us]. A few of that’s we have now a bunch of men enjoying collectively that haven’t performed many minutes collectively all yr, so there’s some cohesion that’s missing.”
Rookie Cam Thomas led the Nets (29-19) with a career-high 25 factors. Patty Mills added 21 factors whereas James Johnson chipped in 12 factors, eight rebounds and 7 assists.
Already lacking Kevin Durant (sprained MCL) and Kyrie Irving (native COVID-19 mandates), the Nets received much more shorthanded earlier than Wednesday’s recreation once they dominated out Harden due to left hamstring tightness that he reported after Tuesday’s loss to the Lakers.
The Nets additionally sat facilities Nic Claxton (left hamstring tightness damage administration) and Day’Ron Sharpe (non-COVID sickness), which seemed like brutal timing as they went up towards Jokic, arguably one of the best heart within the NBA.
Veteran heart LaMarcus Aldridge stepped again into the Nets’ beginning lineup for the primary time since Jan. 1 and delivered a robust effort towards Jokic along with 18 factors.
The Nets held Jokic to seven factors within the first half — all of them coming within the opening minutes of the sport — however the reigning MVP completed with 26 factors, 10 rebounds and eight assists to energy the Nuggets (26-21).
Jokic and Will Barton (21 factors) received the Nuggets off to a robust begin earlier than the Nets discovered their footing. After getting a spark from Thomas and Jevon Carter, the Nets closed out the second quarter on a 17-4 run to take a 65-54 lead into the break.
“It simply reveals we have now different guys that may play,” Thomas mentioned. “For us to compete with a group like that that’s a playoff group … in this sort of setting, it reveals lots. We simply need to hold bettering. We don’t need to cease there.”
However the Nuggets imposed their will within the third quarter, dropping 42 factors on the Nets to go up 96-91 coming into the fourth.
Nash mentioned the Nets will reevaluate Durant’s knee damage inside the subsequent week.
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