Lowly Nets Continue Third Quarter Troubles, Fall to Spurs

The Brooklyn Nets were demolished by the San Antonio Spurs, 112-86, Monday night at the Barclays Center. Isaiah Whitehead was the high scorer for the Nets, while Patty Mills dominated for San Antonio.

The Nets were still without Jeremy Lin for this contest as the Nets announced Monday morning that he would be out for another three to five weeks after re-injuring his hamstring. Caris LeVert also sat this game out. Spurs star Kawhi Leonard also did not play in this matchup due to a sore hand.

Brooklyn was looking to re-create the magic they made in a blowout victory in New Orleans on Friday, while San Antonio was coming off of a victory against the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

The Nets were able to keep the contest close early on as they traded buckets in the opening minutes. A mounting Brooklyn lead as a result of Brook Lopez‘s dominance on the boards led to a livid Gregg Popovich calling a timeout halfway through the first. Miraculously, Brooklyn’s surprisingly competent offense was able to take a nine-point lead against the second place team in the Western Conference.

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Yet, in true Spurs fashion, they made quick adjustments defensively to keep the contest competitive. Long Island native Danny Green had nine points on 100 percent shooting from the field in the opening quarter. This, combined with contributions from role players such as Davis Bertans and David Lee, gave the Spurs a one-point lead going into the second quarter.

The Nets started out the second quarter cold as they went 0-of-4 from the field before scoring their first bucket of the period. Lopez continued his hot start, nailing two free throws to give himself 10 points and Brooklyn the lead back. Both teams picked up their efforts defensively in the second, as the Nets and Spurs were shooting 20 percent and 33 percent from behind the arc respectively at that point in the game.

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The contest was a low-scoring affair in the first half; both teams only totaled 73 points at the halfway point of the second.

A wide-open three from Patty Mills gave San Antonio a four-point advantage down the stretch in the second. However, Trevor Booker got the crowd on their feet with a two-handed jam to keep the Nets in the game.

Mills continued to take over by tacking on a few more baskets heading into halftime. He had 13 points off the bench in the opening half. This spark increased the Spurs’ lead to double digits, 52-42, after the second quarter.

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Perhaps the best stat to sum up the Nets performance in the first half and early part of the third quarter was in the turnover battle; Brooklyn had 10, and San Antonio only had four.

Despite Lopez continuing to persevere with three fouls, the Spurs increased their lead to 13 in the early portion of the third quarter. Their third quarter woes continued after Kyle Anderson’s supreme length and athleticism caused several Net turnovers, leading to a series of easy buckets on the other end of the floor.

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Every Spur seemed to get their moment in the spotlight during this contest. LaMarcus Aldridge added six points to bring his total to 16 on the night. San Antonio’s lead was brought to 19 off of an easy deuce from recent signee Dwayne Dedmon.

The Spurs caught fire towards the tail-end of the third as a result of their trademark ball movement and communication offensively. San Antonio held an insurmountable 22-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

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To culminate the Nets’ efforts, Bojan Bogdanovic missed an open layup to kick off the quarter. The Spurs then increased their lead from 10 points at halftime to 24 in the beginning of the fourth.

Fans became more enamored with drama in the middle of the lower level at Barclays Center, as the Spurs’ potent offense continued to pour it on in the game’s waning minutes. Even newly signed big man Joel Anthony got in on the fun, as the Spurs’ lead was brought to 30.

Chris McCullough chipped in an impressive jumper as the final second ticked away. After the final buzzer sounded, the final score was 112-86, and San Antonio walked away with the victory.

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After this loss, the Nets fall to a dismal 9-35 on the season, while the Spurs continue to steamroll recent competition, with a 35-9 record. Brooklyn will continue their short home stand Wednesday night for their first meeting of the season with the Miami Heat.