Luka & Mavs hand Nets 4th straight loss

So much for holding opponents around 100 points.

The Nets’ three-game losing streak became a season-worst four-game skid in a 123-111 loss to the Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday. In only one of those games — the loss to the Knicks in Brooklyn — did the Nets hold an opponent below 100 points.

Brooklyn has now lost five of its last six games and has fallen below .500 for the first time since they were 7-8 in Sacra- mento on Nov. 22.

“It’s hard when you don’t get stops,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Our defense overall, we never found a way to stop them.”

Luka Doncic pelted the Nets one step-back three at a time. The second-year phenom finished with 31 points on 50% shooting from the field. It was Doncic who carried the shorthanded Mavericks to a win despite missing both Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. to injury.

“It was pick your poison then we started doubling him and then he kicked it to the corner for a three and that opened the floodgates,” Atkinson said. “We never found a way to slow him down.”

The Nets just didn’t have enough firepower to keep up.

Brooklyn got hot from three early, making five of their first eight attempts from deep in the first quarter. But this is a team that lives and dies by the triple, and Brooklyn proceeded to miss 22 of their next 29 attempts from behind the arc.

Spencer Dinwiddie shot just 1-of-4 from three, Joe Harris shot 1-of-5 and Taurean Prince shot 3-of-9 but never quite caught his rhythm. Rodions Kurucs, who started in place of the injured Garrett Temple (knee), also shot 1-of-5 from three.

“When a team like that gets hot, you’ve gotta respond, and I don’t think we did that, obviously,” Theo Pinson said.

The Nets got a spirited performance from the second unit, especially Dzanan Musa and Theo Pinson. The two combined for 25 points and six assists, and Wilson Chandler added another 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field.

“Coaches are trusting me with the ball in my hands,” Pinson added. “I’m just trying to make sure I put my foot down and show I can play in this league.”

Kurucs brought energy in place of Temple. He only scored seven points, but the Nets outscored the Mavericks by seven in the 18 minutes he spent on the floor.

“It’s good to see our development guys contribute,” Atkinson said. “That was a real positive.”

The bench performance was necessary to support Dinwiddie, who scored less than 20 points for just the fourth time since taking over for Irving as the starting point guard on Nov. 16 in Chicago. The bench scored 52 of Brooklyn’s 111 points. It was the starters who didn’t get it done in Dallas.

The Nets have been playing short-handed, but there should be brighter skies on the horizon. Caris LeVert, who has been out after undergoing thumb surgery on his shooting hand, is expected to return soon. He was on the sidelines in Dallas without a cast on his hand, which is a sign that his injury progress is ramping up.

The Nets also missed Temple, who teammates have described as a quarterback for the defense and whose insertion into the starting lineup coincides with their defensive resurgence.

There’s still no word on the return of Kyrie Irving, whose right shoulder impingement has kept him on the sidelines since mid-November. Until Irving returns, the Nets are going to have to lean on their defense.

That defense did not do enough to win the game in Dallas.