Nets undone by poor shooting performance in putrid loss to Heat
The Nets lost a game that set offense back 40 years.Then again, that might be insulting to the players of the 1980s.The Nets fell 106-95 to the visiting Heat on Thursday night before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center that saw some bricklaying of epic proportions.The Nets shot just 38.8 percent, and 11-for-49 from 3-point range.They seemed content to keep chucking and keep missing.
Granted, the Heat are a stingy defensive unit, but Brooklyn never drove and never found ways to make Miami pay for their perimeter aggression.Even Michael Porter Jr.had a rare off shooting night, and it was a reminder of just how dependent the Nets offense is on him.
He scored a game-high 28 points, but was just 10-for-24 from the floor and 5-for-14 from behind the arc.Center Nic Claxton flirted with another triple double (16 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks), but was the only efficient Net.Noah Clowney was 0 of 9 from deep, and Brooklyn seemed content to keep heaving from there.
They made just eight free throws all night, their second-worst effort of the year.The Nets had come in enjoying their best form of the season, winning four of their past six.But all of those contests came against losing teams.
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! Thursday started a new six-game gauntlet where all but one are against winning foes.“Yeah, definitely, it’s definitely a good long stretch of games where we’ll get to see where we’re at,” Porter had said.
“I feel like we’re making progress as a team, but we’ll really get to see against these next five, six games.So, it’ll be exciting for us.”Brooklyn (7-19) is sixth in the lottery odds after being tied for first on Nov.
14.They moved 1 ¹/₂ games clear of No.
7 Charlotte after th...