Nets struggle with turnovers again in preseason finale loss

TORONTO — The finale of the Nets’ preseason provided a sneak preview of their regular season.They play hard.

They play sloppily.And they lose.Brooklyn fell 119-114 at the Raptors on Friday, turning the ball over wantonly and digging a deep hole before a fourth-quarter rally came up just short.Michael Porter Jr., despite being a game-time decision with jet lag, poured in a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 6-of-11 from deep.

It’s a statement of just how porous the forward’s defense was that he finished minus-8.Defensive-minded Ziaire Williams scored 20 on an encouraging 4-of-8 from behind the arc, an auspicious sign for the season.But Cam Thomas had just seven points on uncharacteristic 1-of-10 shooting, 0-of-4 from deep.Most damning were the turnovers.

The Nets committed 23 turnovers to hand over 34 points, but they committed 16 for 31 in the first half alone.They dug an 18-point third-quarter hole and spent too much energy digging out.“Handling their physicality, obviously, was what we struggled with in the first half,” coach Jordi Fernández said.

“But then we responded and had seven turnovers for three points in the second half, held them to 47 points.”“Happy with the adversity that especially our young point guards had to deal with.And happy with how they responded.

And I want all of them to keep being positive and play, take advantage of the next opportunity because it will happen.”In the first half, Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf combined for one point, two assists and six turnovers in 13:20 ineffective minutes.Sign up for Inside the Nets by Brian Lewis, exclusively on Sports+.

Please provide a valid email.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Meanwhile, Egor Dëmin, who scored 14 points, had 11 points in more than 10 turnover-free minutes at the break.Saraf settled in during the second half and help...