For a team already off to a rough start, running into one of the NBA’s most efficient scoring machines wasn’t exactly the ideal get-right game for the Brooklyn Nets but Sunday night’s 129-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers was more than that. It was a loud alarm sounding as frustration with the team’s effort, particularly on defense, continues to concern everyone from the casual fan to the head coach if not higher. It’s not just the losses, but in the way they’re happening.
“I’m failing at trying
to get my guys to play hard…It starts with me,” Fernández said postgame. “We need to play really hard and play with purpose. And we’re not doing it, so I’m doing something wrong.” It was the kind of honest admission you don’t often hear from a head coach, particularly six games into a season: calling out the team’s lack of identity and consistency while also accepting accountability while showing vulnerability. Fernández, he plans to embrace the challenge.
“I’m trying to ask them questions, ‘how can I do it’ to get them to play really hard and you live with the result. I’m not living with the result because the effort is not there, the defense is not there and we’re turning it over.”
But Fernandez held out some hope because the calendar will turn, starting the Nets game vs. the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night.
“That’s the beauty of this job,” he added. “There’s not one thing that works for all the groups. This group is different than all the groups that I’ve worked with. We are going to create winning habits, but right now we don’t have them. We’re very far from that.”
But at this point, six games in, the Nets have already set a franchise record for the most points allowed in the first six games of any season in franchise history. The six straight at the beginning of the season is also the third longest streak in franchise history and recalls the worst start, the 18 wins at the start of the 2009-10 season.
The challenge was indeed tough. The Nets were facing a Sixers squad with just one loss, a top-three offense averaging 125 points a night, and the fourth-most made threes in the league. In other words, a team that’s been on fire for two weeks met one that’s still trying to find the match.
Brooklyn’s young backcourt drew the near-impossible assignment of slowing down Tyrese Maxey, the league’s leading scorer at 35 points per game along his teammates, rookie sensation V.J. Edgecombe and the reliable Quentin Grimes.
Another Night, Same Problems
Just like in their last outing against Atlanta, Brooklyn came out swinging. Cam Thomas poured in seven points within the first five minutes, and Nic Claxton kept up his improved aggression on offense, tallying seven in the opening quarter.
When asked about Claxton’s extra aggression, one of the few bright spots in a dark night, Fernández pointed to the center’s offseason growth and the impact it has on the rest of the team.
“It’s part of having a better summer,” Fernández said. “The energy is contagious, and when he can play like that the team benefits from it. We need the best version of him. I’m happy to see him pushing the ball and getting to the rim.”
Alongside them, Terance Mann, Michael Porter Jr., and Tyrese Martin rounded out the starting five. Rookie Ben Saraf, who had started every game up to this point, recorded a DNP, being replaced by Martin. Nolan Traore was also a DNP and Egor Demin finished with only five points, two assists and no rebounds in 15 minutes. Danny Wolf (ankle) was out with a sprained ankle. He has yet to play this season.
Fernández explained his point guard adjustment, pointing back to what he saw in the previous game against Atlanta.
“In the fourth quarter against Atlanta, we allowed 23 points. We won the second half. There was good physicality, Tyrese did a great job,” he said. “That was the thought process — to try and help with the lineups. It just didn’t work.”
Then came Kelly Oubre Jr., who looked completely in rhythm from the start. The 6’8” 29-year-old wing torched Brooklyn for 22 points in the first quarter alone, hitting 9 of his 11 shots while knocking down two threes. The 12th-year veteran finished the night with 29 points, setting the tone early and never really cooling off until he was forced to leave the game with an ankle injury.
Other than Claxton, the Nets got another good game from Ziaire Williams, still easing back from a “small, minor” back fracture, managed to slow Maxey down after checking in midway through the first quarter. After Williams took over Maxey duties, the 6’2” 24-year-old didn’t hit another field goal the rest of the quarter. Williams also added nine points himself, making him the team’s leading scorer in the opening quarter.
Rookie Drake Powell gave them a nice, but brief, defensive spark off the bench before having to exit the game after re-aggravating a right ankle injury that kept him out of Summer League and limited him early in the season.
When asked about the rookie first-round pick having to step out of his second game of the year, Fernández chalked the injury up to a case of bad luck.
“It’s bad luck when you step on somebody,” he said. “Ankles are usually soft tissue. You can’t control that. Bad luck, I feel for the kid. He’ll be back soon ’cause he’s a worker. He started well with great energy.”
No word on any next steps for the 20-year-old.
Still, Philly’s ball movement kept Brooklyn chasing shadows. The Nets weren’t flat offensively, they shot 54.2% from the field, but the Sixers entered the quarter with a 40-37 lead after shooting 62.5% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
Edgecombe kept building his early-season case as the league’s top rookie, catching fire in the second quarter. The Baylor product drilled a pair of threes before flying past Ziaire Williams to throw down a poster dunk that woke up the crowd. By the end of the game, Edgecombe totaled 16 points while shooting 50% from the field.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s offense went silent. Tyrese Martin, who got the start, couldn’t get much going either, heading into the break 0-for-4 from the field.
The Nets entered halftime shooting a brutal 15.8% from three and just 42.2% from the field in the quarter, while the Sixers kept rolling at 57%, ballooning the gap to 73–55 by halftime.
Down big, Brooklyn never really flirted with a comeback. The deficit never dipped below double digits, and the offense couldn’t find any rhythm. At this point, it’s clear for the Nets to hang around in most games, they’ll need a few offensive explosions to offset their defensive growing pains. Today wasn’t that day.
Michael Porter Jr. and Cam Thomas tried to shoot them back into it, but it was like trying to dig out of a hole with a straw. Porter Jr. finished the game with 17 points on 7-23 shooting (30.4%) while Thomas totaled 29 points on 9-19 shooting (47.36%) but of the 29, 13 game in the fourth quarter after the Nets had gone down by 26, as Frank Isola of YES noted after the game, accusing Thomas of “stats padding.“ Frustration was everywhere.
When in the post-game news conference, Terance Mann was asked how things could change for the team, the Nets oldest player at 29, paused, thought but ultimately seemed perplexed, literally scratching his head.
“Ew, that’s a tough question,” said Mann. “When you’re 0-6, it’s tough to figure out.”
Final Score: Philadelphia 76ers 129, Brooklyn Nets, 105.
Milestone Watch
- Michael Porter Jr. posted his first double-double as a Net, tallying 17 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, and two assists vs. Philadelphia. His 17 boards surpass his previous career best of 16 (set with Denver on 4/2/24 vs. San Antonio).
- Cam Thomas knocked down four three-pointers, passing Bojan Bogdanovic for 13th on the Nets’ all-time 3-pointers made list (323). He now trails Keith Van Horn (335) for 12th.
Next Up
No time to rest for the Brooklyn Nets. They have another game at the Barclays Center on Monday, this time hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves, likely without Ant. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
