Brooklyn Nets: 3 takeaways from 90-76 loss to OKC Thunder

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 7: Hamidou Diallo #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 7, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Brooklyn Nets, again playing without a large chunk of its Summer League roster, were buried by the Oklahoma City Thunder Saturday, 90-76.

Maybe Brooklyn Nets Summer League head coach Jacque Vaughn is sandbagging for the tournament phase in Las Vegas.

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It was a thinner roster than expected for the Nets as they took on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Saturday and the Thunder led by as much as 30 before the Nets made it a bit more respectable late in a 90-76 loss.

For the second straight day, the Nets played without young veterans Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, draft picks Dzanan Musa and Rodions Kurucs and Argentine draft-and-stash Juan Pablo Vaulet.

And on Saturday, undrafted rookie free agent big man Tyler Davis joined the polo shirt brigade on the Brooklyn bench after injuring his calf in Friday’s 86-80 loss to the Orlando Magic, according to the broadcast on NBA TV.

According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Kurucs was out for a second straight day because his buyout from FC Barcelona is still not complete. Musa’s buyout from Cedevita Zagreb is also not done, but he was not expected to play in Las Vegas.

Juan Pablo Vaulet is out again tonight vs. the #Thunder. #Nets still have not yet completed buyout deals for @RODIONS1 or @DzananM13. Kurucs can't play in #NBASummerLeague until it's done.
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) July 7, 2018

Vaulet is still nursing a foot injury sustained in practice Thursday.

Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert - both #Nets rotation players on the #NBASummerLeague roster - will sit out tonight as they did in Friday's opener.
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) July 7, 2018

The Nets (0-2) jumped out to an early lead, going up 9-2 on James Webb‘s driving layup less than three minutes in.

From there, Oklahoma City (1-1) went to work, outscoring Brooklyn 18-10 the rest of the quarter to take a 20-19 lead at the break.

The Thunder then blew it open in the second period, running off 15 straight points over a four-minute span and taking a 50-32 lead into the halftime break.

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With 5:39 remaining in the third quarter, Oklahoma City opened its largest lead at 65-35 on P.J. Dozier’s driving layup.

It was 78-55 at the third-quarter break before the Nets outscored OKC 21-12 in the final 10 minutes.

The Thunder upped the tempo and Brooklyn had trouble adjusting, with defensive breakdowns aplenty on one end and a boatload of missed shots at the other. The Nets shot just 33.8 percent for the game (25-for-74) and were just 8-for-36 from long range (22.2 percent).

The Thunder weren’t exactly efficient, shooting 40.9 percent (36-for-88) and going 5-for-21 from the 3-point line (23.8 percent), but they hammered the Nets on the glass, outrebounding Brooklyn 57-38 and using the offensive boards to get extra opportunities.

The Thunder had 14 offensive rebounds to just three for the Nets.

Here are three takeaways from a loss that was much larger than the final score would indicate.