Long Island Nets defenseless in lopsided loss at Canton

The Long Island Nets opened a 3-game road trip Thursday with their most lopsided loss of the NBA G League season, a 151-125 pasting by the Canton Charge.

Kamari Murphy responded to his first start of the NBA G League season with 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Long Island Nets on Thursday, but it was far from enough as the Nets were hammered by the Canton Charge 151-125 at Canton Memorial Civic Center.

The Nets (8-4) opened a three-game road trip with a game in Canton that had originally been scheduled for Nov. 16 before being postponed because the Nets couldn’t get off Long Island due to the winter storm that hit the New York area that weekend.

Murphy, who started 48 games for Long Island last season, started in place of Alan Williams, on a two-way contract with the parent Brooklyn Nets, who did not dress due to a sprained left ankle.

More from Nothin' But Nets

The Charge (6-6), an affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, led for the final 46:50 of the game after Long Island jumped out to a very early 5-2 edge, and shot 59.6 percent (62-for-104) while leading by as much as 32 points in this one.

Canton led 41-28 after one period and 83-67 at halftime as the Nets struggled to stop much of anything the Charge tried offensively.

Murphy also had two blocked shots for Long Island, while first-round pick Dzanan Musa, on assignment from Brooklyn, finished with 22 points, three rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in 26 minutes. He was 8-for-11 overall, 3-for-5 from deep and 3-for-4 at the foul line.

Theo Pinson, Brooklyn’s other two-way contract player, had 13 points, four boards, a team-high nine assists, four turnovers and two blocks in 27 minutes, shooting 4-for-11 overall, 1-of-7 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 from the line.

Shannon Scott scored 13 points off the bench, Jordan McLaughlin added 12 and Nuni Omot tossed in 11, matching his season high.

Bonzie Colson and Levi Randolph scored 25 points each for Canton, with Colson added 11 rebounds. Kobi Simmons and JaCorey Williams went for 20 points apiece. Scoochie Smith finished with 16 assists and four steals and Sir’Dominic Pointer also had four swipes.

Jalen Jones had 18 for the Charge and Jaron Blossomgame dropped 14. Both players were signed to two-way contracts last weekend by the Cavaliers.

The Nets shot 50.6 percent (44-for-87), but were just 9-for-32 from 3-point land (28.1 percent). Their 22 turnovers led to 33 Canton points, while the Charge committed just eight turnovers, which Long Island turned into eight points.

Canton had a 94-70 edge in points in the paint, a 15-12 advantage in second-change points and outscored the Nets on the fast break 29-15.

Next. 10 best rookie seasons in Nets history. dark

Long Island’s trip continues Friday at 7 p.m., when they face the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (5-5) at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Mad Ants last played Monday, losing at home to Canton 96-81.