Brooklyn Nets vs. Utah Jazz Takeaways and Player Grades 1/2/16

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Jan 2, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) drives to the basket against Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /

Takeaways

1. The Nets were flat in the second half

After scoring 52 points in the first half, the Nets scored just 37 points in the entire second half. Brooklyn scored 18 points in the third quarter, and 19 points in the fourth quarter. Not surprisingly, they lost both quarters, as Utah scored 20 points and 31 points, respectively. The Jazz had offensive struggles of their own in the second half, but not to the degree of Brooklyn’s. The Nets seemingly couldn’t get much of anything going after halftime. As for the Jazz, Gordon Hayward scored 30 points in a great performance that put Utah over the top.

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2. Brook Lopez struggled compared to his usual standards

Brook Lopez played 31 minutes, and scored 14 points on just 6-of-16 shooting. Lopez was 1-of-6 from beyond the arc. Lopez didn’t play terribly by any means. But for the type of player Lopez is, and the type of numbers he usually puts up, he had a bit of an off night. Lopez wasn’t the only Net to struggle, as the team as a whole struggled to score for the most part. However, Lopez is Brooklyn’s leader. When this game was hanging in the balance in the fourth quarter, the Nets weren’t able to take advantage. To reiterate, that isn’t solely on Lopez, but on most nights he will shoot better than 37 percent.

3. Overall, the Nets shot poorly from three-point range

The Nets have placed an emphasis on shooting three-pointers this season. Brooklyn shot 27 three’s on Monday. While they have certainly shot more than that on numerous occasions, the Nets were not efficient from beyond the arc. Brooklyn made just six of their 27 three point attempts, equaling 22 percent. In fact, while Brook Lopez, Trevor Booker, Isaiah Whitehead, Sean Kilpatrick, Joe Harris and Justin Hamilton made three’s, no Nets player made more than one against Utah. The three-pointer clearly wasn’t falling for the Nets for much of Monday night, and when that’s the case, it’s detrimental to the flow and production of the offense.