Heading into the fourth quarter of their Sunday night bout against the LA Clippers, the Brooklyn Nets found themselves in command of a 99-84 lead and seemed to have momentum on their side as they attempted to claim their first string of consecutive wins since December 26.
Instead, what ensued during the final 12 minutes of action was an all-out drubbing for Mikal Bridges and company, as they were outpaced 41-15 during this stretch and were even seen on the lesser side of a 22-0 run that, ultimately, paved the way to a massive comeback victory for the hometown Clippers, as they came out victorious by a final score of 125-114.
Though this turn of events was undoubtedly nauseating to watch from a mere fan's perspective, following the contest it seemed to have crushed the spirits of many players on the Nets, with Bridges somberly stating what he believes served as the main catalyst in this grueling final five minutes of play during a postgame interview.
Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges talks 22-0 run by Clippers
"They was playing harder, they adjusted, they went small, they read everything, and kept everything in front."Mikal Bridges
On top of talking up LA's offensive excellence during the final period, Bridges noted that their defensive adjustments really altered Brooklyn's once promising flow, saying "we were stuck [ and] didn't know what to do."
Despite having a tremendous final box score of 26 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block on the night, the stud forward only managed to drop 2 points on two shot attempts during the pivotal final period while the likes of Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Pauld George, and Russell Westbrook combined for 30 during this stretch.
This loss is simply yet another reminder that the Nets are in desperate need of a trusty playmaker to help better support Bridges and better the team's odds of legitimately vying for their sixth consecutive playoff berth.