Nets’ Defense Collapses Again in Painful Loss to Pistons
The Nets’ brief spark of optimism quickly faded. After snapping a seven-game losing streak with a win over Indiana on Wednesday, Brooklyn stumbled again on Friday night, falling 125–107 to the Pistons at Barclays Center in their first NBA Cup game of the season.
The loss dropped the Nets to 1–8 overall and 0–5 at home. They will next face the Knicks on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Brooklyn squandered an early 10-point advantage as their defense — the league’s worst — was again exposed.
“The Pistons shot nearly 60 percent from the field despite hitting only 6 of 26 from three-point range, boosted by an astonishing 78 points in the paint.”
The Nets’ interior defense was so ineffective it seemed pulled from the Washington Generals’ playbook, as Detroit repeatedly scored at the rim with crowd-pleasing dunks and drives. Cade Cunningham posted 34 points and 10 assists, dazzling with a windmill slam, while Jalen Duren added 30 points and 11 rebounds, almost tearing down the rim with his power.
Brooklyn’s offense showed flashes of life. Their top scorer finished with 28 points, supported by Noah Clowney, who delivered an impressive 19. Clowney erupted early, hitting 12 points in the opening minutes on four of five three-pointers. After averaging just 4.3 points on 23.3 percent shooting earlier in the week, he has now scored at least 15 in his last three outings.
Author’s Summary
Brooklyn’s promising start dissolved as defensive breakdowns and paint domination by Detroit buried the Nets in their eighth loss of the season.