Out of gas
Nets falter late, fall to Heat in ‘Global’ fizzle
MEXICO CITY — Maybe it was the altitude. Or fatigue. Or just cold shooting.
Whatever the case, the Nets bid adios to Mexico City and their modest winning streak, fading down the stretch in a 101-89 loss to the Heat before a crowd of 19,777 at Arena Ciudad de Mexico.
After coming from behind to beat the Thunder on Thursday, the Nets reversed that, wearing out in the fourth quarter against the Heat. Trailing just 75-74 early in the fourth quarter, they conceded an 11-2 run that effectively ended the game.
“They got after us at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and turned the game,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We had a couple of turnovers. That’s when they made their break. We were hanging with them basket-for-basket and they made the break. That was the difference.
“Overall, I thought this was a positive trip, beating Atlanta [on Monday] and then Oklahoma City. We would’ve liked to get this third one. It’s a little frustrating. But we’re not at that point yet in our progression and development where we can grind through a game like this and pull it out. But we’re getting closer.”
Despite scoring the night’s first seven points and leading 53-50 at the break, Brooklyn got outscored 51-36 in a second half that saw them shoot just 31 percent. They looked like what they were: a shorthanded team playing a second straight game at high altitude — 7.382 feet above sea level.
“We tried to get two wins, but we didn’t,” said DeMarre Carroll, who had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting. “The altitude definitely played a part.”
It was an alibi Atkinson wouldn’t use. But playing at high altitude for the second time in three nights, and doing it shorthanded, seemed to take its toll.
“The pace was pretty slow. … Our overall offensive energy was down,” Atkinson said. “But they’re a very good defensive team, so I credit them. As a team we’re not going to use fatigue as an excuse. That’s not how we operate.”
The Nets (10-15), who have been without Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell, played minus Joe Harris (stomach illness). They also traded Trevor Booker to the 76ers and released Sean Kilpatrick on Thursday, and Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas, acquired from Philadelphia, won’t join them until Monday.
The Nets shot just 7-of-27 from deep, while Tyler Johnson (whom they had inked to a four-year, $50 million offer sheet in the summer of 2016 that Miami matched), scored 20 points, tying Heat teammate Goran Dragic for the gamehigh.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (18 points, eight boards) and Spencer Dinwiddie (15 points, nine assists) led the way for the Nets, who came out fast with a 7-0 lead.
But with frontcourt options limited, Atkinson tried to use traditional big men Jarrett Allen and Timofey Mozgov together for a stretch and the results weren’t good. The Nets couldn’t space the floor on offense and couldn’t keep up with the Heat on defense. They coughed up a 14-4 run, falling behind 33-29.
After a tooth-and-nail third quarter, the Nets trailed 75-74 with 11:11 left. And with the game up for grabs, they fumbled it away.
“We just missed shots. They played great defense to limit us as well. But we can’t make any excuses for the rest or the altitude,” Dinwiddie said. “Anytime you score 36 points in one half, the team played good defense and we missed shots.”