Under Magic spell
Shorthand Nets thrashed in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — Back-toback. Shorthanded. Forget all the excuses, because this one was inexcusable.
The Nets didn’t get embarrassed, 108-81, by the Magic before a crowd of 17,708 at Kia Center because they played on short rest. They lost because they didn’t play hard.
Brooklyn (22-36) didn’t get blown out because they didn’t have Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons. They got blown out because they didn’t have the fight they needed.
“They just came out with a lot of energy and intensity. We were kind of playing on our back foot all night, and they made shots,” Nic Claxton said. “We’ve been losing. We’ve just gotta be prepared. [Tuesday] is excusable, and we gotta have our energy right from the jump. Like I said, they came out and they were kind of on 10, and we weren’t there.”
The Nets looked equal parts drained and disinterested, trailing by as much as 32 against a Magic team without Paolo Banchero.
Brooklyn fell to 2-7 on the tail end of back-to-backs.
“It’s a challenge for everybody in the league. We all have to deal with it,” Claxton said. “You just got to manage your body mentally, physically, and just lock in.”
Brooklyn failed to build on any momentum from interim Kevin Ollie’s first win the night before in Memphis.
With second-leading scorer Thomas sidelined by a sprained ankle, the Nets saw Orlando blitz their pick-and-roll mercilessly. The result was Mikal Bridges being held to a seasonlow four points on 2 of 14 shooting, including 0-for-7 from deep.
“Unfortunately, it’s not fun. So just continue to just take what the defense gives me and keep being aggressive,” Bridges said.
“He was just trying to make the right play, and when he got an opportunity to get some looks he just didn’t knock them down,” Ollie said. “They were blitzing him … so he had to just get off of it. But when he [gets] some looks, I know he’ll be able to knock those down and not go 0-for-7.”
Bridges missed his first seven shots and didn’t score until his steal of Jalen Suggs and layup with 9:35 left in the third quarter.
But, fittingly enough, he missed an ensuing layup. The score was 68-49, and things just got worse.
On offense, they shot just 39.7 percent overall and 8-for-32 from deep.
A night after handing out 32 assists in Memphis against just eight turnovers, the offense was in disarray. Brooklyn tied its season-low with just 18 assists and committed a season-worst 22 turnovers.
“We were just a little bit careless with it, honestly, and them getting out in transition,” Bridge said. “But just being careless with it.”
And the Nets knew getting used to Ollie’s new schemes and sets was no alibi.
“No, we’re just not … that’s just being lazy with the ball and not taking care of the ball,” Claxton said. “I wouldn’t say that’s the reason we’re turning the ball over. I can’t put that on adjustments or anything. We just need to take care of the ball better.”
The Nets allowed 52.7 percent shooting and a parade of points through the paint. Orlando scored 56 points inside, led by Franz Wagner (21 points).
It was never close after the opening moments. A Day’Ron Sharpe hook made it 19-17 in the first quarter, but the Nets then conceded eight unanswered. Cole Anthony (12 points) capped the run and made it 27-17.
Not insurmountable under ordinary circumstances, but this Nets funk is extraordinary.
Ollie’s pregame speech on Dec. 2 — while still an assistant under Jacque Vaughn — had inspired a Nets win over Orlando. But whatever he said at halftime Tuesday sparked no such comeback. Trailing 58-44 at the break, Brooklyn surrendered a 20-7 run coming out of the locker room. The deficit reached 91-59 with 10:54 left on an Anthony 3.
“They was aggressive, they got in the passing lane. All the things we wanted to do, they did to us. So kudos to them, playing hard and getting us uncomfortable. We’ve just got to have more poise and take care of the basketball,” Ollie said. “It’s no time to be making excuses. These guys work hard, they’re professionals and when somebody goes down we expect somebody else to step up.”