Nets show fight a little too late
The Nets had another chance at a modest seasonhigh three-game winning streak, and once again they spit the bit in dropping a testy 108-96 affair to the Pistons on Sunday before 16,097 at Barclays Center that saw tempers flare and both Quincy Acy and Andre Drummond get ejected.
“We didn’t have it. Whatever that it is, that energy, that juice, it wasn’t there,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They were at a higher level than us in terms of their, again, call it juice.”
Much of the pregame focus was on D’Angelo Russell — benched after just six minutes in Saturday’s win at Miami — being back in the lineup. But once the game started, all eyes were on the Nets (25-52) falling behind by 81-61 in the third quarter and Acy and Drummond getting into an altercation at the end of the period.
“[Atkinson] challenged us to come off the road trip and get as prepared the most we can mentally, physically, before this game. We could’ve done better,” Russell said. “We never stopped the bleeding. We didn’t make that shot or get that stop that we needed to stop the bleeding or that 50-50 play.”
Jarrett Allen and Joe Harris shared team-high honors with 15 points, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 14 despite playing with facial lacerations that had his status in question before the game.
Russell started and had 13 points and seven assists, but struggled once again on defense. Detroit counterpart Reggie Jackson had a gamehigh 29 points and taunted the Nets by essentially moonwalking the ball upcourt, while backup Ish Smith added 17 on 7-of-8 shooting.
“Yeah, they took it at us. They were in the paint, get- ting downhill. They were creating however they wanted,” said Russell, adding he was fine with Atkinson’s call in Saturday’s win. “That’s a decision coach has to make. He went with what was rolling, and it worked. We won, so it’s cool.”
But there would be no third straight win. Knotted at 45, the Nets lost control of the game. They allowed 13 straight points, part of a 17-3 run to close the first half.
The Nets fell behind 81-61 after Drummond’s free throw with 4:12 left in the third, suffering the indignity of Jackson’s showboating.
The game got testier, and the Nets closed to 83-70 when Acy and Drummond got into an altercation. Acy inadvertently made contact with a referee, and both players were ejected with 18.4 seconds left in the third.
“We stripped the ball, going for the ball, he shot an [elbow] and I overreacted. I felt like he took a swing. Things definitely got out of hand. It’s not how I’m supposed to act,” Acy said. “We dove on the floor for a loose ball and he just kind of shot an [elbow]. I just overreacted.”
Asked if he thought the ref had been a Piston trying to grab him or if he simply never saw him, the Nets big man replied, “You think I swing on purpose?” before adding, “There was a lot of people around me.”
Harris’ corner 3 pulled the Nets within 83-75, and Allen’s from the same spot made it 85-78. Brooklyn got within 93-87 with 2:38 left on Russell’s 3, but no closer.