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Two years ago, San Antonio was the worst team in the West. Today, they’re the hottest team in the NBA.
Brooklyn had to draw hope from that, while the Spurs were dunking all over them.
The tanking Nets’ 126-110 loss to San Antonio on Thursday before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center brought them a step closer to the kind of potential star they’ll need for a turnaround.
Victor Wembanyama had a dozen points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, quiet on offense but dominant on defense. Julian Champagnie had a game-high 26 points for the Spurs, who put seven scorers in double figures before the end of the third quarter and cruised.
“They’re a really good team. They’re really good defensively. And Wemby is obviously a cheat code for them, having somebody like that who knows how to manipulate his own body on that level, being able to be on not just two players at the same time, but three of them,” said Egor Dëmin. “It’s pretty crazy.”
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 25 points and 14 boards, but had six of Brooklyn’s 15 turnovers.
“The players knew how they play; they want to let you get into the paint and fan out. And we go out there and shoot three 3s and seven midrange shots in the first quarter. So that’s just lack of intention and concentration,” said Nets coach Jordi Fernández. “Our guys didn’t understand what this team is about, and if they don’t understand it, at the end of the day, I’ll take it as my fault.”
The Nets trailed by as many as 26 and weren’t on San Antonio’s level. Or even the level below that.
The Nets coughed up a 17-4 run that spanned from the end of the first quarter to two minutes into the second. They never challenged after that.
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Danny Wolf had 14 points off the bench, while Dëmin handed out a career-high nine assists while fellow rookie Nolan Traore added 13 points.
But Fernández pulled Demin after just four minutes when the Russian teen made a couple of defensive gaffes.
“Offense is not always going to be perfect, but defense is something that is on me. And it’s not always a team effort — which is obviously important — but it’s about a personal kind of thing. And yeah, I’ve just got to be really better at that,” said Dëmin.
“I didn’t want to pull him that early, but he was involved in a few defensive mistakes. So at some point I’ve got to hold him accountable, try and explain what I need them to do better,” said Fernández. “And he was great. He owned the mistakes, and he’s ready to go back there.”
Brooklyn (15-43) sits third in the lottery standings, just 2 ½ games behind first-place Sacramento and one in the win column. They’re one game behind Indiana for second.