The Brooklyn Nets (15-43) have not won a game since coming back from the All-Star break and part of the reason for that is the team being unable to play well for all four quarters. Brooklyn had another chance of ending their losing streak with the San Antonio Spurs (43-16) coming to Barclays Center, but they failed in being able to win a game against one of the best teams in the NBA.
The Nets lost to the Spurs on Thursday 126-110 in a game where Brooklyn didn’t earn the lead once while also falling behind by as many as 26 points in a lopsided game. Forward Michael Porter Jr. had 25 points and 14 rebounds for one of his better games in recent memory while backup center Day’Ron Sharpe had 14 points and 11 rebounds coming off the bench.
The Nets did a great job of limiting center Victor Wembanyama’s impact as he scored just 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field, but Julian Champagnie scored 26 points by taking advantage of the gravity that Wembanyama has. Brooklyn will be facing the Boston Celtics on Friday, but for now, here are three Nets takeaways from Thursday’s loss to the Spurs:
Michael Porter Jr. Has Uneven Performance
Porter finished this game with a great stat line of 25 points and 14 rebounds, but he also had a whopping six turnovers while notching most of his production in an dominant third quarter. In the first, second, and fourth quarters, Porter notched eight points on 3-of-14 shooting from the field, but in the third period, he had 17 points and 6-of-8 shooting. This has been an interesting trend for Porter as he doesn’t seem to be able to sustain his efficient scoring for an entire game, but he certainly has some impressive stretches.
Day’Ron Sharpe Notches Another Double-Double
Sharpe came off the bench in this game, but he finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists in just 19 minutes while also going against Wembanyama and Luke Kornet during his time on the floor. In a game that turned into another blowout, Sharpe is having arguably the best season of his career as he heads into an offseason where the Nets have a team option on his contract for next season.
Egor Demin Passes Well, But Wasn’t Aggressive Scoring
This was arguably Demin’s best passing game of his rookie season as he finished with nine assists to just one turnover against one of the best defenses in the league. With that being said, Demin also had six points on just three shots, showing that he wasn’t particularly aggressive looking for his own offense. At some point, Demin should be able to combine the scoring/shooting and playmaking at the same time.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: 3 Nets takeaways from 126-110 loss to Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
