BROOKLYN -- The Trail Blazers finished a two-game series in New York with a 128-123 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in front of a sellout crowd of 17,732 Friday night at Barclays Center.
“I was proud of us, it was a good game for us,” said Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. “I thought we were really good all night. A couple missed communications but we just fought really hard. Came up a little short down the stretch.”
Portland is now 26-43 overall, good for 11th in the Western Conference standings with 13 games to play, and 9-25 on the road this season. The Trail Blazers have now lost their first three games of a five-game road trip and nine of their last 10 overall. However, by winning the previous matchup at Moda Center, the Trail Blazers have split the 2021-22 season series with the Nets 1-1.
Much like their loss versus the Hawks to start the trip, the Trail Blazers shot a spectacular percentage from both the field and from three -- in this case, 61 percent and 50 percent, respectively -- to take a considerable lead into the halftime intermission. And while Portland didn’t do a great job on the defensive end either -- the Nets shot 58 percent from the field in the first half -- they did outscore Brooklyn by 14 in the second quarter to take a 75-62 lead into the half.
“It was a big time quarter for us,” said Billups. “Our defense really, really fueled our offense. We were getting out, we were kind of running before they could get their defense set up. Ben (McLemore) got going and knocked some shots down. Justise (Winslow) was big. That was maybe one of our better quarters of the year.”
And just like in Atlanta, the Trail Blazers took their largest lead of the game early in the second half versus the Nets, going up 82-64 on a Drew Eubanks hook shot with 10:40 to play in the third quarter. But the Nets, just like the Hawks, would rattle off a huge run, this one of the 21-4 variety, midway through the third quarter to turn a considerable deficit into a small advantage.
“It was a tough one. Quarters like that, it just kind of shows our youth, our inexperience,” said Josh Hart. “I think myself, I have to do a better job in terms of, when other teams go on runs, just being one of the older guys here, offensively getting us into sets and positions to be successful and to slow down the other team’s run.”
The Nets opened the fourth on a 10-0 run, holding the Trail Blazers scoreless through the first four and a half minutes, to take their largest lead of the night at 111-101. But Portland would go on a little 7-1 run to cut Brooklyn’s lead to 118-114 with 4:11 to play in regulation. Hart would score five-straight points with less than two minutes to play to make it a one-possession game with 45.2 seconds to play.
But in the end, Portland couldn’t get the stops they’d need without fouling -- Brooklyn shot 28-of-33 from the line -- in order to force overtime, let alone secure the victory.
“We knew that, being up the way we were in that first half, we knew (Brooklyn) would come out very aggressive, and they did,” said Billups. “We were able to withstand it, then it went in their favor for a little while, them scoring 39 points in that third quarter. And then we closed the gap, we did a good job, we just couldn’t get a basket at the start of the fourth quarter. They go on that 10-0 run and that really hurt us.”
Hart shot 9-of-18 from the field to finish with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and a steal in 40 minutes. Brandon Williams wasn’t far behind, posting 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting while also logging six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in 37 minutes.
“The coaching staff really trusts me, I think everybody is starting to see that, that I’m starting to gain their trust, and vice versa,” said Williams. “Same with my teammates as well. They trust me as a young guard, they trust me to make a lot of big plays down the stretch, so that says a lot... My individual play, it’s only going to get better from here.”
Justise Winslow scored 11 of his 15 points in the second quarter and also finished with five assists, five rebounds, three steals and a block in 28 minutes. Ben McLemore went 5-of-12 from three and 2-of-2 from the line to finish with 17 points off the bench.
Drew Eubanks added 18 points, six rebounds and three assists, and CJ Elleby contributed 10 points off the bench.
Kevin Durant led all scorers with 38 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field and 14-of-15 shooting from the free throw line. Seth Curry went for 27 points, his most with the Nets, while both Bruce Brown and Andre Drummond added 17 points.
The Blazers now have a day off before starting a trip-ending back-to-back, which starts Sunday afternoon versus the Pacers in Indianapolis. Tipoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.