Tempers flared as Quincy Acy and Andre Drummond both get ejected during the Nets 108-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Barclays Center on Sunday night.
It was yet another chance for the Nets(25-52) to go on a three game winning streak after a road trip where they won two consecutive games against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat. Unfortunately it was another loss on another night of sloppy inconsistent play.
“We didn’t have it. Whatever that it is, that energy, that juice, it wasn’t there,” said a frustrated Coach Kenny Atkinson after the game. “They were at a higher level than us in terms of their, again, call it juice.”
An argument could be made that Brooklyn was just worn down after a second night of a back to back, but Detroit(37-40) who entered last nights game on a four-game winning streak was also on their second leg of a back-to-back after defeating the Knicks on Saturday at Madison Square Garden.
After finishing a high scoring first quarter down only five points, the Nets let the game slip away late in the second by allowing 13 straight points, which was part of a 17-3 run led by backup point guard Ish Smith.
Smith checked in with 5:34 remaining in the fourth and scored 9 of his 17 points during that short stretch, ending the first half with Detroit up 62-48.
The third quarter was no different, but this time it was starting point guard Reggie Jackson, who had his way with D’Angelo Russell, dropping 9 of his 29 in the eventually giving the Pistons an 81-61 point lead.
Russell and the Nets just couldn’t find an answer for the Pistons pesky point guards who lived in the paint and absolutely dominated the pick and roll for 48 minutes.
“Yeah, they took it at us. They were in the paint, getting downhill. They were creating however they wanted,” said Russell, who only played the first six minutes of the Nets victory against Miami before Atkinson benched him for the rest of the game.
With 3:56 left in the third the game took a turn for Brooklyn after two huge three pointers by Nick Stauskas and Joe Harris that cut the lead down 70-83. However, things immediately got heated when Quincy Acy and Andre Drummond got into a shoving match under the basket, and in the midst of the commotion Acy unintentionally hit a referee in the face. As expected both players were ejected, leaving the Pistons without their All Star center going into the fourth.
”Things definitely got out of hand. It’s not how I’m supposed to act,” Acy said in the locker room after the game. “We dove on the floor for a loose ball and he just kind of shot an [elbow]. I just overreacted.”
The overreaction seemed to have an effect, because Brooklyn started the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run and with a new swagger that had fans believing in a comeback. Eventually they cut the deficit down to six, but they just could not stop Reggie Jackson who exploded for 12 points in the fourth giving the Pistons their fifth straight win.
This is the type of game Net fans have come to expect at this stage of the season, but for the team it is about finishing the season strong, but last night showed no indication of it happening.
“[Atkinson] challenged us to come off the road trip and get as prepared the most we can mentally, physically, before this game. We could’ve done better,” Russell, who finished with 13 points and 7 assists said. “We never stopped the bleeding. We didn’t make that shot or get that stop that we needed to stop the bleeding or that 50-50 play.”
While much of the blame falls on the players, Atkinson still has some work to do on his end. Once again the Nets were outrebounded 53-40 and at the tail end of the bench is Jahlil Okafor, who racked up yet another DNP on a night where they could have used something. Its not that Okafor is the answer to the teams woes, but he certainly is worth taking a look at, especially when your rookie center is on a second half of a back to back. Jarrett Allen showed up last night finishing with 15 points and 6 boards, but he got into foul trouble early, and the Nets were left undersized against a rebounding machine like Drummond who finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds before being ejected in the third.
Some Nets who played showed up last night, but not enough to get them even close to a winning position. Joe Harris finished with 15 points matching a game high with Allen, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson also finished with 14 points and a team high 8 rebounds, while Caris LeVert finished with 15 points and Stauskas with 10 points and 7 assists.
