Jordi Fernandez reacts to the Nets suffering the biggest loss in franchise history

Sean Marks knew what he was signing up for when he was anything but admitted that the Brooklyn Nets will fail the second half of this season. However, Wednesday’s defeat by Los Angeles Clippers showed how ugly that process can get.

Brooklyn fell 126-67 at the Intuit Dome, the largest margin of defeat in franchise history (previously 52), and tied for 10th in NBA history.

The Nets led 25-24 early in the second quarter, but were outscored 102-42 the rest of the way. They shot 25 of 83 (30 percent) from the field and 5 of 28 (18 percent) from three with 15 assists and 20 turnovers. Their 67 points are the third lowest by a team in 10 years.

“When you see a loss like this, a lot of things went wrong,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “There was no energy and competitive spirit, plain and simple.” But right now, all I can do is support my guys. It’s never a good experience to go through this, but if we analyze the whole season, none of our guys are working for this, and they’ve been competing the whole time. So all I can do is support them, obviously own this and show up the next day and try to be better.”

“It’s one of those days where you don’t do anything right.” You don’t have that real energy and togetherness, but you’re trying, and you just need a little more focus, and all that stuff… I’m proud of this group of guys, and I know they’re going to show up and work for the next day. So all we can do right now is to have a positive but also a competitive mindset.”

The Nets were without Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons for the second night of back-to-back games. Leading scorer Cam Thomas is also sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The historic loss comes after Brooklyn snapped a five-game losing streak with a 132-114 victory at Portland on Tuesday. With Johnson and Russell back from injuries against the Trail Blazers, the Nets shot 54.4 percent from the field and scored 29 rushing points, both season highs. Their 132 points and 36 assists were their best in the 2024-25 regular season.

however, Johnson and Russell are back on the bench on Wednesday due to injuries. Simmons did the same, having not yet been cleared for back-to-backs.

Historic network loss could be a sign of things to come

Brooklyn has signaled its commitment to the tank in recent weeks, trading veterans Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith. Marks confirmed the team’s draft priorities through comments earlier this week.

The Nets were expected to be at the top of the tank race for the Cooper Flag this season, entering the year with a projected 19.5 wins. However, after a sudden start, they are on the outside in the hunt for a top-five pick. They entered the match in Los Angeles seventh place in the lottery tablewho has a 32.0 percent chance of a top-four pick and a 7.5 percent chance of the No. 1 pick.

Brooklyn has the floor to make up if the goal is a decent shot at the top selection.

With this in mind, there could be more roster moves on the horizon. Johnson is the next logical trade candidate. The veteran wing is among the NBA’s most sought-after targets and should bring the Nets a significant return. Brooklyn could flip Russell after acquiring him from the Los Angeles Lakers, and whether Ben Simmons could be a buyout candidate remains to be seen.

As has been the case the past two weeks, the Nets won’t be rushing any of their impressive players back from injuries. Young prospects like Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Jaylen Wilson and Tosan Evbuomwan will continue to see extended playing time as a leading offensive option.

This is where Brooklyn finds itself after turning to a rebuild this summer and reclaiming its first-round pick from the Houston Rockets. While the losses will rarely approach Wednesday’s scale, there is much more on the horizon. But unlike Marks’ first rebuild, the losses will come with a bounty in this year’s draft lottery, where the Nets could have a chance to finish in the top five for the first time in 15 years.