BROOKLYN – The Nets showed plenty of second half resolve, but it wasn’t enough to secure a win against Kings in a 104-99 loss.
It’s the Nets’ fourth defeat in a row and there will be plenty of questions asked about the team’s concerning slide. The team continues to be plagued by slow starts and a porous front court defense. Yet, there were some positives for the young Brooklyn team.
Here are Three Things from Wednesday’s Game
Nets Need Consistent Effort Throughout 48 Minutes
Brooklyn has developed a habit of starting games off slowly before going off on a second-half run. Wednesday night wasn’t any different.
Kenny Atkinson stressed the importance of getting off to a good start in his pregame press conference, but just moments later the team surrendered a 36-20 lead after the first quarter. The Kings, who were bottom in the league in scoring before Wednesday’s game, shot a staggering 76.2 percent in the opening quarter. The head coach expressed his frustration after the game.
“Giving up 36 points in the first quarter, they have good players on the other side and you can’t get in a hole like that,” Atkinson said. “It is a disappointment in our defense and our defensive mentality to start the game.”
The Nets responded by holding the Kings to a 40-point second half, but were unable to undo all of the damage from the first half. Atkinson acknowledged his concern over the team’s inability to be assertive at the start of games and admitted there could be lineup changes ahead.
“I think four losses in a row, we have to look at everything,” he said about the team’s current starting lineup.
Caris LeVert, Joe Harris Ignite Nets Second-Half Rally
LeVert and Harris got off to a quiet start, combining for only 10 points on 3-for-8 shooting in the first half. They made their presence felt in the final 24 minutes of the game.
LeVert injected some much-needed energy as he awed the Barclays Center crowd with several jaw-dropping drives to the basket. Harris helped the Nets rally back as he poured in seven points in the final quarter.
LeVert’s strong December is making a case for the second-year player to be included in the February’s BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge in Los Angeles.
Time for Concern?
The Nets have tied their longest-losing streak of the season, yet the locker room insists it’s not affecting their confidence.
“I don’t think it’s impacting us at all,” Allen Crabbe said. “A couple of plays here and there and we could be on the winning side. We’re all staying encouraged…We still believe that we have time to turn things around.”
Still, DeMarre Carroll believes the loss against the Kings, the 12th-placed team in the Western Conference, should serve as a wake-up call.
“It’s more us just understanding that we can’t take no team for granted,” Carroll said. “We [are] too young of a team, too young of a group to come out, to think that we can just roll out and beat somebody."