The Nets lost their poise down the stretch in Sunday’s 102-101 loss to the Orlando Magic at Kia Center. Their lack of veteran leadership showed when it mattered most, and soured what should have been a big road win against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a clear sign of not being mature,” head coach Jordi Fernandz said. “Obviously the consistency, the focus, but it’s basically, you do so many good things in the first half, then you put [out] the worst performance you can put [out], and you act like you don’t care on the defensive end.”
Everything was clicking for Brooklyn on offense early. It shot 58.3% in the first half, made nine 3-pointers, had 15 assists on 21 field goals and built a 61-43 lead. Cam Thomas and Noah Clowney were rolling on offense. It was the type of game the Nets probably should have run away with easily.
The Nets led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter and were up by 17 points with 7:16 left in regulation, courtesy of three straight Jalen Wilson treys. In moments like that, mature teams — the best teams — know how to keep their feet on the gas, seek high quality shoots and maintain defensive focus.
Instead, from that point on, the Nets went 0-for-7 from the field with five turnovers. Their last four points of the game were scored by Wilson at the free throw line. The Magic ended the game on a 22-4 run and outscored Brooklyn 34-18 in the final frame.
“We just needed one more grown up to bring the guys together and calm everybody down and execute on the defensive end and win the game, and it didn’t happen. So, I put that on all the guys on our team that are over 23 years old. Those were our grownups. And if you cannot do that, it’s going to be tough.”
While Cam Thomas scored a game-high 25 points in his return from a 13-game absence, the Nets played without Trendon Watford and Ziaire Williams on Sunday. Veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier in the afternoon. D’Angelo Russell, who was acquired in Sunday’s game, was not available. Dennis Schröder was traded to the Golden State Warriors earlier in the month.
Cam Johnson did not play in the fourth quarter because of left hip soreness, and other veterans such as Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons were virtually non-existent in the final frame. The veterans that would usually guide Brooklyn through these late-game scenarios were gone or injured. The ones that remained did not step up when the team needed them to.
Orlando shot 50% from the field in the fourth quarter and 46.2% from deep. Wilson scored 13 points in his last 11:09 on the court, but Thomas went 1-for-7 in his final 7:37, including a missed 3-pointer from the left corner at the buzzer.
“We just didn’t execute well,” Thomas said. “I don’t think it was the grownup thing or anything like that, I just think we have to execute. We played enough games to know what we have to do at the end of games, getting in different sets, execute. And sometimes the ball just doesn’t go in at the end.”
Situations like these are why veterans such as Schröder, Finney-Smith and Milton will be missed over the Nets’ final 50 regular-season games. There is a good chance Johnson will be gone by the Feb. 6 trade deadline, too.
For the players that remain, especially the youngsters, the rest of this season will serve as a valuable learning experience. Now they must learn how to finish games, how to make the right play in clutch moments and put their group in the best position to win. This season was about development from the start. It is time for them to grow up.
“There’s opportunities for someone else, that’s the bright side,” Fernandez said. “Those guys will play in the NBA, which is not easy because there’s limited spots in the NBA. And, again, life goes on.”
