Nets Routed Again, This Time by Clippers: Another Blowout Caps Brooklyn’s Fifth Straight Loss
Different coast, same story for the Brooklyn Nets.
After getting hammered at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, the Nets traveled west and were handed another lopsided loss - this one a 126-89 drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night at Intuit Dome. With the defeat, Brooklyn has now dropped five straight and 10 of its last 11 games, falling to 12-32 on the season. A team that once boasted the league’s top defensive rating in December is now spiraling fast, and the numbers back it up.
The Nets shot just 33.7% from the field and an icy 9-for-43 from three-point range. They turned the ball over 17 times and allowed the Clippers to dominate the paint - a troubling trend that’s become all too familiar. At one point, Brooklyn trailed by as many as 40 points.
Head coach Jordi Fernández didn’t mince words postgame.
“You can lose, and you can be a loser,” Fernández said. “For 18 minutes, we lost and we were competitive.
And for 30, we were losers. So, we have to decide what we want to be and who we want to be.”
The Clippers wasted no time asserting themselves. By the 8:29 mark of the first quarter, they held a 12-2 edge in paint points and forced the Nets into an early timeout trailing 12-5.
Brooklyn briefly responded - Terance Mann, fresh off a video tribute from the Clippers, knocked down a triple, and Michael Porter Jr. added a pair of free throws. But that flicker of life quickly faded.
The Nets were stuck on 10 points for nearly five minutes, finally breaking the drought with a Day’Ron Sharpe putback off an offensive rebound at the 3:07 mark. In that stretch, the Clippers went on a 15-2 run, and James Harden - who torched Brooklyn earlier this month at Barclays Center - set the tone again, scoring with ease and controlling the tempo.
It was déjà vu for the Nets at Intuit Dome. Last season, they suffered a franchise-worst 59-point loss in the same building.
This one didn’t reach that level, but it got ugly fast. Brooklyn trailed 38-14 after the first quarter, shooting just 4-of-20 from the field and coughing up six turnovers.
They were also without key players - Noah Clowney (back soreness), Cam Thomas (left ankle sprain), and Nolan Traore (illness) - but even at full strength, this would’ve been a tall order.
By halftime, the Clippers had built a 68-35 lead. Harden and Kawhi Leonard combined for 35 first-half points - just two shy of Brooklyn’s entire total.
The Nets shot 27.9% in the first half and gave up nine turnovers that led to eight Clippers points. Meanwhile, L.A. was humming, shooting 54.5% from the field and getting whatever they wanted offensively.
The third quarter brought a flash of emotion. Rookie Egor Dëmin wrapped up Harden on a fastbreak, prompting a shove from John Collins.
Terance Mann quickly intervened, returning the favor with a shove of his own and some choice words. Both Collins and Mann picked up technicals, but the moment seemed to spark Dëmin.
After starting 0-for-4, the 19-year-old scored 12 straight points and helped Brooklyn narrowly take the third quarter, 29-28. He went 3-for-6 in the frame and was the only Net in double figures through three quarters. Still, the damage had long been done - the Nets entered the fourth down by 30.
Porter struggled to find rhythm, finishing with just nine points. Outside of Dëmin, the only other Net in double figures was fellow rookie Danny Wolf, who scored 14 off the bench but shot just 3-of-13.
Leonard led all scorers with 28 points in only 25 minutes, adding five rebounds and two assists. The Clippers shot a scorching 56.4% from the field and looked every bit the title contender, while Brooklyn continues to search for answers.
Right now, the Nets are a team caught between identity and execution. December’s defensive pride has vanished, and the offense isn’t doing enough to compensate. The losing streak is mounting, and the energy - especially early in games - just isn’t there.
It’s gut-check time in Brooklyn. The question, as Fernández put it, is simple: Who do the Nets want to be?