NETS GO COLD IN THE NORTH
B’klyn has frigid shooting night in loss to Toronto
If the Nets made some shots, they might have come away with the win. Instead, an ice-cold shooting night led to a 110-102 loss to the Raptors in Toronto on Saturday.
The Nets shot 39-of-101 from the field and 12-of-46 from three-point range. Against a Raptors team this well-rounded, even without Kawhi Leonard, the margin for error was already slim.
“I thought we had a lot of open looks. They didn’t go down,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said post-game. “The looks were there. It just goes like that sometimes. It’s just not good enough to win on the road.”
The Nets had al- ready run into this monster at the end of the preseason when they lost 123-107. That was a game both Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert played.
The two playmakers have not been available due to injury, and that didn’t change on Saturday against the Raptors. Instead, the offense stagnated when the Nets couldn’t make shots.
Garrett Temple shot 2-of-14 from downtown, Joe Harris shot 1-of-6 from three and Spencer Dinwiddie only made two of his six attempts from behind the arc. On a team that lives and dies by the three, that won’t be good enough to get it done, no matter who the opponent is.
“We knew we were gonna get 3s tonight. We knew they were gonna pack it in,” Atkinson said of the Raptors’ defensive scheme. “We encouraged [our players] to shoot it. Just didn’t drop tonight.”
Turnovers were another major issue against the Raptors. The Nets gave the ball away 20 times, leading to 29 points the other way.
“We did not handle the ball well enough,” Atkinson said. “Just in general, turnovers were a problem.”
The Raptors built a lead as big as 16 in the second quarter and 12 in the fourth. The Nets had no answer for Pascal Siakam, who dominated to the tune of 30 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks.
Norman Powell also scored 25 points and hit 5 threes on the night.
“We weren’t contesting shots the way we needed to,” Atkinson said.
“Post defense on Siakam,” Jarrett Allen said. “We could have helped out [Taurean Prince] a little more.”
David Nwaba continued his improved play, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench. He brought the spark the Nets will need to see more of after waiving Iman Shumpert last week.
“I thought David was really good in that sixth man role,” Atkinson said. Toronto didn’t have the best shooting night, either. They shot 39 percent from the field and Kyle Lowry shot 5-of-14 from the field.
“For the most part we were stopping them at half court,” Taurean Prince said. “I don’t think they did anything we didn’t expect or we couldn’t fix.”
The Raptors, though, made timely shots. They also had a healthy roster. The Nets do not.
The Nets have been patiently awaiting the return of their two stars. They’ll also welcome Wilson Chandler back from a 25-game suspension on Sunday against the 76ers.
“Hopefully he’ll give us a morale boost. I think right now is the perfect timing especially on the second game of a back to back,” Atkinson said. “I know we can’t give him huge minutes, but he’ll play a fair amount.”
They’ll play one of the best teams in the NBA on tired legs. That’s not the best recipe to win ball games.
A crucial ingredient was in the pot against the Raptors: ball movement. The Nets ran up 24 assists in their loss on Saturday. They played with the pass, as head coach Kenny Atkinson preaches, turning down good shots for great ones.
The Nets will need to do more of that if they hope to last against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. Just like against the Raptors, though, just moving the ball might not be enough.