Nets Can't Overcome Miscues, Fall to Balanced Pistons Attack at Home

Brooklyn's win streak ends at two.

Nov 3, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) catches a pass in front of Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson (45) in the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

On a slow Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets had their two-game win streak halted by the Detroit Pistons in a 106-92 loss. A solid first half showed promise, but the Nets' season-long trend of third-quarter falters doomed any hopes of extending their record to 4-3 on the 2024-25 campaign.

The first quarter was tough sledding for any Brooklyn player not named Cam Johnson. Coming off of Friday night's big win, the Nets appeared sluggish in the early stretch. The Ben Simmons-Johnson connection started hot, connecting on two corner threes out of the gate, but Brooklyn's offense went cold from that point. Detroit took advantage, ripping off a 6-0 run and generating a small but steady lead while answering any offensive output the Nets put together.

Rebounding and free throw shooting hurt Brooklyn the most in the opening 12 minutes, as the Nets were outrebounded by five while committing two loose-ball fouls and only mustering 1-of-4 from the charity stripe. In an ugly display against the last-place in the Eastern Conference, Johnson tallied 13 quick points but Brooklyn trailed 28-25 through one quarter.

Neither team truly settled into their respective offenses due to a flurry of foul calls from the officials. The Nets orchestrated a 16-6 run to reclaim the lead, but were unable to build out a larger cushion because of the amount of referee stoppages. Brooklyn shot much better from the free-throw line in the second quarter, thanks to the shear volume of attempts they were given.

The lone beneficiary of the Nets offense was Johnson, who posted 22 points, which was just the second time in his career he's finished a first half above the 20-point mark. Cam Thomas shook off a quiet start to add seven of his own, but the 28 total fouls prevented either team's stars from truly getting involved. Despite the whistle fest, Brooklyn held a 57-52 advantage at the halftime break.

As has been the case all season, the Nets came out flat in the third quarter. The 12 minutes that follow the half have posed issues for Brooklyn, and this afternoon was no different. Dorian Finney-Smith had an impressive sequence that served as the highlight of the Nets' performance following the break, featuring a foul plus the bucket and a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions.

Unfortunately, that was the ceiling of Brooklyn's third-quarter performance, as it was all Pistons from there. Spearheaded by Tobias Harris' seven points, Detroit went on a 22-8 run to end the stanza. As Harris hit from mid-range time and again, the Pistons erased the Nets' once small lead and regained the advantage for the first time since the score had been 37-36. Sloppy offense persisted for Brooklyn, who found itself down 83-77 heading into the fourth.

Things got late early for the Nets, signified by a Malik Beasley takeover. The veteran two-guard buried a fadeaway corner three as the shot clock expired, jawing at Brooklyn's bench on his way back on defense. This sequence began the Nets' downhill spiral as the home unraveling commenced. Detroit led by as much as 14 down the stretch thanks to its all-around contribution from J.B. Bickerstaff's starting five.

Come the final buzzer, the Pistons boasted six scorers in double figures, outrebounded Brooklyn by 15 and stole a win on the road from a Nets squad that was full of momentum. The home loss ended Thomas' 20-point Barclays Center streak at 12, as the NBA's leading fourth-quarter scorer couldn't lift his team out of the second-half hole it dug itself into.

Now back under .500, Brooklyn concludes its home stretch tomorrow night against the Memphis Grizzlies at 8 p.m. EST.

To access the final box score from the Brooklyn Nets' loss to the Detroit Pistons, click here.

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