The Nets seem tired from the road trip and haven't even started the road trip yet.
The sluggish and hard-hitting Nets were barely competitive Wednesday night, losing 113-98 to the Pistons.
They trailed by double digits for much of the second half and never led after briefly leading 32-31 with 10:00 left in the second quarter.
Noah Clowney did his part, scoring a career-high 29 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor. That includes 5-of-11 3-pointers and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. No other player contributed more than 14 points.
The loss was the team's third straight on a three-game homestand before embarking on a 10-day, six-game road trip, including two games scheduled for next week in fire-ravaged Los Angeles.
The Nets are severely depleted in strength, with Cam Thomas (hamstring), Cam Johnson (ankle), D'Angelo Russell (shin), Ben Simmons (lower back management), and Deyron, who has been attracting attention recently.・Sharp (illness).
They stayed within range in the third quarter, with the lead mostly bouncing between 10 and 12 points, but Detroit pulled away in the final frame and the arena emptied early, leaving the Nets at 32 points. It was surpassed by 21.
“[I’m] I'm very proud of this group. [They] Please keep fighting. Obviously, what we have to think about is how we can do better,” head coach Jordi Fernandes said after the loss. “Shots near the rim were blocked, kind of turnovers. It just goes the other way. … I mean, it's a learning process. I really like the fight. Their physical height. I knew…again, we're going to keep fighting until the end of the fourth quarter. That's what's important to me.”
The young Nets certainly competed, improving their numbers on the boards (38) and free throw percentage (90.5) against the Pistons (42) from their last meeting.
And there was even a glimmer of hope that they would break the 10-point barrier during the third quarter. The Nets got within 70-64 after Clowney's dunk off Johnson's jumper and Tobias Harris' Zyre Williams steal.
But that didn't last long, as Cade Cunningham woke up after scoring just five points in the first half, scoring eight points on target. Then, following a Harris layup, a Ronald Holland layup off a Williams turnover, and a Cunningham jumper on back-to-back possessions, the Pistons went up to 12 points, but it fell short of a commanding 21-point lead. , only to start the fourth set 91-70.
“There were a lot of transition points,” Clowney said. Although he gained confidence from his performance, he was not satisfied with the result. “That's the one that hurts. Turnovers to dunks. Missed dunks. A lot of transition attempts, things like that. They got away. They hit. We didn't always fight back. That was the result.”
The Pistons' 36 fast break points never allowed the Nets to get within striking distance again.
A tough shooting night, scoring 20 points off 15 turnovers and shooting 38.4 percent, kept things in Detroit's favor.
Following Clowney's 29 points, the Nets were led by Nick Claxton with 14 points, Tothan Ebbuomwan with 13 points, and Tyrese Martin recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“I liked his versatility. I liked his competitiveness and he doesn't second-guess,” Fernandez said of Clowney's performance. “He's aggressive. I'm proud of him. I still think he can get even better and that's what we're aiming for.”
Malik Beasley (23) paced the Pistons, followed by Simone Fontecchio (17) and Marcus Sassar (15) off the bench.
The lead changed hands only twice in the first quarter, and the Nets stayed within 10 points of the Pistons, with Clowney making a 3-pointer and two free throws after a flagrant foul by Detroit's Isaiah Stewart to make it 23-0. The score was tied at 23.
The Pistons reached a 14-point lead in the second quarter, but the Nets never let the lead go far. After nearly five minutes of scoreless play, a layup by Jalen Wilson, four points by Evbuomwan and a jumper by Reese Beekman kept the Nets within 10 points at the end of the first half.
“I think there was an intention. [to be physical]'' Fernandez said. “I think our guys fought. Sometimes that's easier said than done. … They're playing against the best athletes in the world. And we're still setting up, going backdoor, You should be able to touch the paint and do certain things, but you have to work your way through it and that's how you learn.”
