The Nets kicked off the second half of the season with a disappointing 112-84 loss to the Cavaliers, a game watched by 19,432 fans at Rocket Arena.
The game was a rough ride from start to finish. Brooklyn never looked like they had a chance, trailing by as much as 43 points at one stage.
Sure, the Cavaliers are playing exceptionally well, which is evident. But there’s also the possibility that Brooklyn’s younger players might be hitting a rookie wall.
Ultimately, the game revealed serious issues with the Nets’ mental toughness and defensive execution.
Cleveland sliced through Brooklyn’s defense thanks to interior passes from former Net James Harden (who scored 16 points with nine assists and five rebounds) and Donovan Mitchell, who led the game with 17 points.
Troubling lapses in concentration allowed the Cavaliers to shoot a staggering 64.3 percent in the first half and 57.1 percent from deep.
In comparison, the Nets struggled, shooting just 34.5 percent overall, with only 14 successful three-pointers out of 49 attempts.
Michael Porter Jr. managed to lead the team with a meager 14 points, going 1-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Ochai Agbaji, who joined the team just before the trade deadline, contributed 13 points.
The game was a close contest in terms of score early on, but it all went downhill quickly. Brooklyn was down 101-59 after a free throw from Dennis Schroder, a former Net, with just over a minute left in the third quarter.
Things didn’t improve in the final quarter.
This marked Brooklyn’s eighth loss of the season where the score gap was significant, and notably, no other team in the league has lost more than five games by such margins.
On the upside, however, there’s a glimmer of hope with the lottery standings. After the Wizards beat the Pacers, the Nets found themselves tied for fourth place with Washington. They sit one game behind Indiana and New Orleans.
The Nets looked flat right from the beginning, quickly trailing 4-0. Jordi Fernandes didn’t waste any time, calling a timeout almost immediately.
Unfortunately, witnessing the team struggle to keep up with Evan Mobley, who was returning from a calf injury, was tough to watch.
While Brooklyn started strong, scoring the first eight points, they ended up forcing the Cavaliers into some poor shots at the onset.
But despite being only nine points down at one point, Brooklyn let an 11-2 run by the Cavaliers stretch that lead to more than 34-16.
Ultimately, the gap ballooned to 43 points, and only Egor Demin showed any fight late in the game, making his presence felt against Larry Nance Jr. before Nance lost his cool and received a technical foul.
Otherwise, Brooklyn, for the most part, just lacked the resolve needed on that night.
