BROOKLYN – Less than 24 hours from a dramatic overtime victory in Miami, fatigue appeared to be a factor in the Nets’ disappointing 108-96 defeat to the Pistons on Sunday night.
Despite fighting throughout the game, Brooklyn never found a rhythm and appeared disjointed on both sides of the court at times. The team also struggled mightily on the glass, letting their opponents have a 53-40 advantage on the boards.
Reggie Jackson led the way for Detroit with 29 points while Joe Harris and Jarrett Allen were Brooklyn’s top scorers with 15 apiece. The Nets now travel to Philadelphia to face the Sixers on Tuesday.
Here are Three Observations:
Nets Can’t Overcome Poor Perimeter Defense, Rebounding Disparity
The Pistons two point guards of Jackson and Ish Smith combined for 46 points on 53 percent shooting – neither players are All-Stars but they certainly played that way on Sunday. Smith was a handful for Brooklyn in the first half as he went 7-for-7 with 17. Jackson would pick up the slack in the second half, getting 11 free throw attempts and scoring 21 points in the final 24 minutes of action. The Nets had no answer for either player’s drives to the basket and were punished as a result.
“We didn’t [slow them down],” Kenny Atkinson said after the game. “I thought we didn’t have it tonight. Whatever that is, that energy, that juice, it wasn’t there.”
The Pistons’ control of the glass also played a part. Andre Drummond was a significant factor as he had 14 rebounds to go along with 13 points before being ejected for an altercation with Quincy Acy, who was also ejected. With Drummond out of the game, the Nets responded with an 8-2 run, but it wasn’t enough to secure a lead in the fourth quarter.
“I think that was our opportunity to make a run and take advantage of Drummond not being in the game,” D’Angelo Russell said. “We cut it close, but we couldn’t get that stop that we needed.”
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson’s Solid Run Continues
Despite the result, one positive development was Hollis-Jefferson’s performance as he dropped 14 points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 54.5 percent. It continued a solid stretch by the forward, who is averaging 16.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in his past five games.
Atkinson highlighted the 23-year-old’s impact prior to the game against the Pistons.
“You can trust him. In the end of the day, if you look at the stat sheet, he’s out there 30 minutes, 39 minutes because you want defense, you want rebounding…we can give him freedom on offense that we feel OK with,” Atkinson said. “With these teams switching, you need someone in the post that you can throw it to and make a play.
“Again, it’s not always perfect but our guys trust him to be able to punish a mismatch. Punish a small guy when he gets into the post.”
Hollis-Jefferson has extended his double-digit scoring streak to 12 games.
Swat Machine Jarrett Allen
Jarrett Allen finished the game with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots – with the last stat being noteworthy.
Allen currently has the longest streak of blocks by any rookie in the NBA this season, going nine straight games with at least one block. It’s also the longest stretch by any Nets rookie since Brook Lopez’s streak of 15 games in the 2008-09 season. Allen acknowledged he’s working to be consistent on both sides of the floor.
“I would just say trying to be more aggressive,” he said after the game. “It’s another night I’m trying to get more consistent and more aggressive.”