BROOKLYN NETS

The Brooklyn Nets looked to stop their slide down the standings, following three-straight losses after starting 6-6. In an attempt to bounce back from recently-disheartening performances, the fans were hoping for a strong showing against the Washington Wizards, one of the few teams below the Nets in the conference hierarchy. Despite their 2-9 start, a three-game winning surge had been keyed by the return of Dwight Howard. Given the loss of Caris LeVert, the Nets needed to take care of business against struggling teams like Washington.

Instead, the Nets came out of the gate looking lethargic. They committed four quick turnovers in the first five minutes and D’Angelo Russell was the only player able to create on offense, putting up 13 points in nine minutes. This prompted head coach Kenny Atkinson to make a drastic substitution, bringing in five new faces in an attempt to bring the team back to life. Those important second frame shifts included significant minutes for rookie Rodions Kurucs, who had mostly played in fourth quarters so far this season.

The lineup change proved very effective as the bench unit outscored the Wizards’ 35 to 13 to take a slim two-point lead into halftime. The sudden trouncing was primarily led by Spencer Dinwiddie who finished the night on top with 25 points. The strong efforts from Russell and Dinwiddie in the first half covered for weak shooting performances from Joe Harris, Jared Dudley, and Allen Crabbe as the trio struggled for a combined 0-for-9 from deep.

Once those shooters found their stroke in the third quarter, however, the Nets began to blow open the lead. They wouldn’t look back for the rest of the contest after outscoring the Wizards by 10 in the third quarter and only added to it in the fourth. It was nearly a complete turnaround from their game against the Miami HEAT on Wednesday, surprisingly enough. While there was a good deal of individual defensive mistakes, the overall effort was consistent and effective — maybe they should play the Wizards every night then.

If the Nets can keep up this level of cohesion and effort without LeVert, then the season may not be lost just yet. Brooklyn’s game tomorrow night at home against the Los Angeles Clippers will be a good benchmark against a soaring, overachieving playoff contender out west. Can the Nets come out strong like they did tonight against the Wizards, or will they revert to their poor performance against the Heat?

Only time will tell.