NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have been one of the worst teams in the league in terms of record over the past month. While that puts Brooklyn in the company of teams that were expected to be towards the bottom of the league, unlike the Nets, there is belief that a turnaround is coming.
“I’m actually pretty confident,” Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said after Tuesday’s 108-103 loss to the New York Knicks as part of the NBA’s Rivals Week theme. Brooklyn has been in an extended slump lately as they have won just five of their past 22 games and their meltdown against the Knicks was just one of the many examples of why this slide is occurring.
“That was a heartbreaking loss that we had in Clipper land,” Vaughn said. “Then we come back tonight and it’s 101-101 with a minute to go in the game. So, that ability for our guys to show a spirit about themselves, a competitiveness about themselves, definitely leans me into having belief and more comfort in this group to continue to push them and try to get some wins.”
The Nets went into the fourth quarter with a 85-76 lead over the Knicks thanks to the efforts of several players including Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson. However, the final 12 minutes was a different story as New York won the period 32-18 thanks to getting five offensive rebounds and getting some key stops down the stretch.
It was one of those games where Brooklyn looked like a completely different team in the fourth quarter and it seems to be a theme that’s been repeated throughout this season: the Nets cannot close games. With the trade deadline just weeks away, Vaughn and the Nets may be out of time to turn things around.
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