The Brooklyn Nets followed up their inspiring come-from-behind win over the 76ers with an embarrassing loss to the Charlotte Hornets in front of their fans at Barclays Center.
Miles Bridges was unconscious offensively. While missing only seven shots, Bridges went for 32 points in 35 minutes. As for his running mates LaMelo Ball (18 PTS, 5 ASTS) and Ish Smith (15, 4 ASTS), Ball made sure to put pressure on Brooklyn’s defense all game while Smith took over in the fourth period to propel Charlotte to the victory.
The Nets’ 17 turnovers will surely be identified as one of reasons for the loss. However, the Hornets’ 56 points in the paint along with the team being reluctant to attack the interior themselves will be of blame. Charlotte did not have a true rim protector and the Nets did not exploit this enough.
Durant still managed to finish the game with a game-high of 38 points on 17-of-24 shooting, but questions will continue to come up on where else the offense will come from for Brooklyn moving forward.
Here are the player grades for Sunday’s loss: