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Brooklyn Nets: Five Worst Games of the 2016-17 Season

By Christian Milcos

Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dives to keep the ball in play during the fourth quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107.Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) dives to keep the ball in play during the fourth quarter of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers won the game 108-107.Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 1, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) smiles after a basket during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 1, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Knicks power forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) smiles after a basket during the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Feb. 1: 95-90 Loss to Knicks

Put all your worst Nets nightmares for a single game in a blender, and you would probably get something similar to this miserable contest. Everything from blown leads, to opposing rotation players having career nights, to Barclays Center being filled with support for the opposing team; this game was very traumatic.

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The Nets came out of the gate strong, as they led by 12 points after the first quarter and by seven at halftime. Their defense was particularly stingy, as New York only notched 38 points by the time the second quarter buzzer sounded. A seemingly unstoppable fourth quarter run by the Knicks was capped off by a Kristaps Porzingis three, essentially ensuring the Nets would walk away with a loss.

Willy Hernangomez had a career night to begin February. The 6-foot-11 Spain native posted a career-high in rebounds and finished with a double-double. This game sparked some debate about whether Hernangomez was a better fit next to Porzingis than Joakim Noah, who had only put up three points in 13 minutes. Sasha Vujacic hit a couple of threes down the stretch to bury his former team, while Justin Holiday also contributed to the Knicks’ comeback.

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The most irritating aspect of this contest was just how easily the Nets could’ve snuck out with a victory. The Knicks played very poorly overall, an abysmal 22 percent from behind the arc. The Knicks were also without Derrick Rose and saw poor performances from several key starters. New York simply got hot at the right time, while the Nets played a more balanced game all-around.

This contest was a lot more meaningful for the Knicks than the Nets. New York was still in the playoff race at the time and moved to 22-29 on the season with this victory. The Nets, on the other hand, were already far removed from playoff contention going into this game. They would move to 9-40 on the year, only adding to a mounting losing streak at the time.

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Still, any loss to Brooklyn’s crosstown rival will sting for a long time. This contest came in the middle of the darkest part of the Nets’ season and should be looked upon as one of the lowest points of the season.