Jordi Fernandez finds a silver lining in late-game struggles during recent losses
The Brooklyn Nets fell 113-99 to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday at the Barclays Center. Jordi Fernandez’s team led by as many as 10 early in the game and regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but couldn’t muster the offense to overcome the rout.
While the loss dropped the rebuilding team to 2-14 on the season, it represented continued progress after a historically poor start.
“It’s important to play this competitive brand of basketball against a very good team. I wasn’t happy with the way we competed a few games ago. And now, four games in a row, we’re playing a respectable brand of basketball, a competitive brand of basketball,” Fernandez said after the game. “And if that’s the case… we’ll live with the results. We just want our fans, especially here at home, to be proud of what we’re doing. I think nights like tonight should make the young guys and the whole group proud… So let’s go to the next one and try to be better.”
Brooklyn was uncompetitive during a rough start season, allowing a career-high 522 points in the first four games. However, the team has shown signs of life in its last three outings.
The Nets are showing signs of life after a historically bad start to the season
The Nets led the Orlando Magic 98-94 with 1:56 left on Friday before collapsing in the final minutes. They followed that performance with their second win of the season, dominating the Washington Wizards 129-106 on Sunday. Brooklyn once again looked competitive for much of Tuesday at the Celtics.
The Nets’ defense has been the catalyst for their recent competitiveness. Fernandez’s team has posted a 113.7 defensive rating over its last three games, up 12.6 points from its first 11 games. Brooklyn committed 17.0 turnovers per game during that span, 11th most in the league.
“Our pressure on the ball was better. We saw that in what we mapped game to game, our turnovers were higher,” Fernandez said. “You can be a little more aggressive with your coverages when your ball pressure and deflections are up. Because if you don’t have those two things first, it’s hard to go and put two on the ball because it’s too soft for a double team right now. So we’re trying to find that rhythm. Guys are playing hard. We created enough turnovers, and then we scored six points. It’s getting better.”
Michael Porter Jr.’s breakout spurt Brooklyn’s offense lately. The offseason acquisition is averaging 27.0 points and 3.4 assists on .484/.381/.896 shooting over his last seven appearances. He scored 20-plus points in every game during that span, the longest streak of his career.
However, the Nets have been unable to find offense outside of Porter Jr. during the last two losses.
After leading by four with two minutes left in Orlando, Brooklyn missed its final five shots, allowing the Magic to close out on an 11-0 run. Fernandez’s team scored 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-9 from three with three assists and six turnovers during the fourth quarter Tuesday.
“I think we have a young team and we’re just now playing together,” Porter Jr. said. “(The Celtics) have been in so many situations in the fourth quarter as a group. They knew how to execute a series of pieces, and we’re still figuring it out. We’ve got to organize ourselves and be on the same page. … When things get tough (in the fourth quarter), you’ve got to play a different style of basketball. There aren’t that many easy looks. We’re still learning. We’re young. We’ll get there. It’s just experience.”
Tuesday’s loss dropped the Nets to 2-12 on the season. tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the NBA’s second-worst record. Only the Indiana Pacers (1-13) and Washington Wizards (1-12), two teams Brooklyn beat, are worse.
The Nets will return to action on Friday at TD Garden in a rematch with the Celtics.
2025-11-19 20:48:00
