Nets Collapse, Fall to Suns

The Nets, coming off back-to-back wins against the Knicks and the Magic, embarked on their first roadtrip of the season, one that will send them to Phoenix, Oakland, and Portland. First up: the Suns, a team that the Nets swept last season and have won five straight games against.

The Nets used a 9-2 run and a 12-1 to open up a 29-17 lead at the end of the first stanza.  The offense was very efficient, hitting 10 of 15 shots in the quarter, and hitting all four of their three point attempts. The lead could’ve (and probably should’ve) been bigger, but 4 turnovers in the last two minutes, three by Jarrett Jack, kept the Nets lead at 12. Bojan Bogdanovic led all scorers with 9 points.

The Nets opened the second on a 7-2 run and looked primed to pull away, but six Nets turnovers and Gerald Green kept Phoenix in the game. Green scored 18 points in the second, helping Phoenix pull within seven points with 1:33 left in the half. Brook Lopez answered the Suns’ charge with a personal 7-0 run, and Joe Johnson ended the half with a buzzer beating floater eerily similar to the game-winner he hit here last year, and the Nets went into the break with a 63-49 lead. Green led all scorers with 18, while Lopez had 16 and Johnson put up 12.

The third quarter was a typical Nets third quarter from the last two seasons. Players became selfish, ball movement evaporated, and shots didn’t fall. Phoenix took advantage of this and, despite a plethora of turnovers, tied the game at 67 thanks to a 18-4 extended run. The teams traded buckets for the next few minutes, culminating with an Alex Len layup giving Phoenix their first lead since 2-0, with about a minute left in the quarter. Jarrett Jack, possibly redeeming himself for his disastrous play at the end of the first, scored 4 quick points and assisted on a Bogdanovic buzzer beating 3, putting the Nets up six at the end of 3.

The Nets began the fourth strong, capitalizing on the momentum gained at the end of the third, opening a 7 point lead with 8 minutes remaining. That lead didn’t last, though, as a 10-2 Suns run put them up 1. After a Deron Williams bucket put Brooklyn back up, Isaiah Thomas took over. He scored Phoenix’s next nine points, putting them up four, and a Goran Dragic and-one layup with 2 minutes left was the dagger. The Nets were outscored 34-20 in the fourth quarter.

Brook Lopez, after a dominant first half, played poorly in the second half, forcing shots that didn’t need to be put up. Ditto for Joe Johnson, who tried to play hero ball in the fourth quarter, but failed. On a positive note, Mirza Teletovic scored 16 points on 4-8 from three. For Phoenix, Gerald Green scored 28 points and Isaiah Thomas 21 points, both off the bench.

This is an inexcusable loss for the Nets. They were up 19 points at one point in the first half, and, after shooting 71% in the first half, they shot 28% in the second. These are the type of losses that will come back to haunt you later in the season.

Brooklyn’s next game is tomorrow night, against the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors own a 5-2 record, with both losses coming in their last two games.

Final Score: 112-104 Suns
Most Disappointing Stat of the Game: 11-40 (27.5%) shooting in the second half
Promising Stat of the Game: 24-34 (70.6%) shooting in the first half
Scariest Moment of the Game: The third quarter
Best Moment of the Game: Deron Williams crosses Eric Bledsoe and drains the 3
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