Nets try to move on after blowout

MINNEAPOLIS — Once the Nets get over the sting of the beating they took at Golden State, they’ll realize Monday’s game against the Timberwolves is a golden opportunity.

The optics in Saturday’s loss to the Warriors were bad, but the result was hardly shocking, playing the two-time defending champs on the second night of a back-to-back. But after a day to lick their wounds, the Nets have a shot to finish 3-1 on what would be a surprisingly strong road trip.

“I want to see how we bounce back from [Saturday],” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “A 20point loss is a 20-point loss. We’ll have a day to recover in Minnesota. I think it’s an important game to test our character.”

With their titanic circus treks a thing of the past, this four-game western swing is actually the Nets’ second-longest of the season. It could also be their most important, with a chance to build some early-season momentum and show a more competitive level than they had last season.

“We’re on to Minnesota,” Joe Harris said. “We’re 100 percent focused on Minnesota. Obviously they had some stuff happen. We’ll see how all that shakes out with the new acquisitions. But the approach will be the same. We’ll have a scout, recovery day and be ready to compete.”

That stuff is Minnesota trading Jimmy Butler away to the 76ers on Saturday.

“They still got a lot of talent over there, guys capable of stepping up in his place, so we’ve got to go in with a game plan and attack that,” Russell said.

“I look at it: They added two good players in [Dario] Saric and [Robert] Covington. They got some shooting, you never know how those things work out. We obviously have to do our work with our scouting. Their lineups have changed. They’re a good team. They’re supposed to be a playoff team. Minnesota’s a tough place to play, so we’ll have our work cut out for us.”