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The Brooklyn Nets have fallen to an extremely disappointing 1-4 record following their 129-125 overtime home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic went off for a 41-point triple-double for Dallas. Meanwhile, Nets stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant combined for 76 points after scoring 39 points and 37 points, respectively.
Overall, it was a highly entertaining, high-scoring back-and-forth affair for NBA fans. However, the Nets' defense continued to struggle, which prompted ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins to call out the team for their lack of defensive effort.
Following the game, Perkins sent out a tweet asserting that Brooklyn’s defense is so bad that they wouldn't even be able to guard senior citizens:
“I guess the Nets are okay with people giving them that work on a nightly basis. I mean they can’t guard senior citizens in a Nursing Home at recess!!! Carry the hell on… Oh btw that Luka is just SPECIAL!”
Perkins was obviously exaggerating but he wasn’t too far off. The Brooklyn Nets currently rank dead last in defensive rating at 120.2. They have also allowed five different opposing players to score 37-plus points over their first five games.
So far, they have mostly relied on their offense to carry them. Even that has been slightly below average as they rank just 17th in offensive rating at 111.4.
A lot of the Brooklyn Nets' defensive struggles have to do with the fact that they don’t have much size. In fact, they don’t have a single 7-footer on their roster.
However, their perimeter defense has also struggled this season. The Nets are currently allowing opponents to shoot a blistering 42.1% from 3, ranking them 28th in opposition 3-point percentage allowed.
On top of that, the Nets gave up on a ton of offense when they traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons in February. Simmons, who was expected to bring the Nets All-NBA caliber defense, has looked like a shell of his former self. The team has been forced to rely on Durant and Irving without a reliable third scoring option.
After the game, Kyrie Irving spoke about the Nets' tough loss:
“I felt like we did some good things tonight, but it just wasn’t good enough.”
Kevin Durant also highlighted the fact that the Nets didn’t do a good enough job defending the 3-point line in overtime:
“They hit three 3s in overtime. Bad coverage, and their shooters knocked them down."
Dallas finished 20-for-40 (50%) from deep as Luka Doncic continued to find the open man on the perimeter without much resistance.
Overall, the Nets will certainly have to figure out a different game plan soon. If they keep trying to outscore opposing teams without playing consistent defense, they will likely keep digging themselves a deeper hole.
Luckily for the Brooklyn Nets, their next two games will come at home against the 1-4 Indiana Pacers on Saturday and Monday. If the Nets struggle in those games, then it might be time for concern.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks, now 2-2, will next play at home against the 2-3 OKC Thunder on Saturday.
Steve Nash on Brooklyn Nets' third straight loss
Following the Brooklyn Nets' third straight loss on Thursday, Nets coach Steve Nash spoke about how he noticed some improvements in the team’s performance.
“I thought we sustained our intensity. I thought we played a more complete game, so I think that’s growth."
Nash particularly liked the team’s defensive energy in the third quarter:
“I just thought the energy, the pace. They were able to scramble defensively and get out and put pressure on them in transition."
The Nets were also able to get a key stop in the fourth quarter, which forced overtime.
However, Nash also noted that there were still some key defensive letdowns in the game.
“We’ve had some big pockets where we had let downs or sort of got away from our principles. But tonight, I thought there was a much better overall effort."
Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Nets' defensive letdowns included letting Luka Doncic continually find wide-open shooters in overtime. The Nets will have to start playing defense for four quarters and beyond if they hope to end their losing streak any time soon.
Guess the Lakers players!
