Nets Dominated By Jazz, Fall Hard in Blowout Loss

The Brooklyn Nets are midway into their “circus” road trip. In this part of the west coast trip, they faced the Utah Jazz and lost in a blowout, 112-97.

Quincy Acy scored a team-high 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field for the Brooklyn Nets. Brook Lopez chipped in 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. George Hill had a game-high 34 points and dished out seven assists for the Utah Jazz.

The Nets fell to a quick 17-7 deficit, with Hill and Derrick Favors powering the Jazz’s offense. Brooklyn began the game shooting 3-of-8 from the field, while Utah knocked down six of its first seven shots.

Things began picking up for the Nets with Kenny Atkinson‘s small ball rotation, as Brooklyn went on a 12-5 run, led by Trevor Booker‘s instant offense off the bench. With 2:45 remaining in the first, Brooklyn reduced Utah’s advantage to five, 27-22. Still, the Jazz’s hot shooting allowed Utah to extend the gap to 38-26 at the end of the period.

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Brooklyn once again began chipping at Utah’s to open up the second quarter, with two straight buckets from Isaiah Whitehead and Acy. Just three minutes into the period, the Nets, led by their reserves, sliced the Jazz’s lead in half, trailing 40-34.

Still, the Nets’ turnovers were costly, and they quickly went down by double digits again, 47-36. Additionally, after a hard fall that involved his head hitting the hardwood, Joe Harris checked out of the game and went back to the locker room to be evaluated. He would not return.

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Then, the Nets once again appeared to be turning a corner, after a layup by Sean Kilpatrick and a three-pointer by Whitehead cut the Jazz’s lead to 50-43 with four minutes left in the half. Baskets by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Lopez continued the Nets’ 11-3 run and brought Brooklyn within four. That was the closest they’d get in the first half, and Utah still held a 60-51 advantage heading back into the locker rooms.

At halftime, Lopez was the highest scorer on the Nets with 12 points. Hill was the strongest force for the Jazz with 19 points, while Favors contributed 13 points on perfect shooting (6-of-6 from the field).

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Third quarter woes plagued the Nets, as they quickly fell under by double digits again. Jeremy Lin picking up his fourth foul with 9:12 remaining didn’t help the cause, as he moved back to the bench and was replaced by Spencer Dinwiddie. Utah outscored Brooklyn 13-6 in the first four minutes and didn’t look back, going up by as much as 21 points. The Nets shot at a dismal 25 percent from the field in the third and trailed 88-70 going into the last quarter.

Brooklyn showed some signs of life in the fourth, as Lopez still attempted to power the team. With 7:54 remaining, an easy two-pointer by K.J. McDaniels brought the Nets within 14, 94-80. It would be too little, too late, as Brooklyn never led in the game and were blown out by the Jazz, 112-97.

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The Nets’ loss to the Jazz is their front-end of their back-to-back, as they get set to take on the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow in the Moda Center.