A Closer Look at Brooklyn's Deceptive 5-5 Start

Looking back through the first ten games of the season, it doesn’t seem like the Nets are a .500 team.

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Through 10 games, the largest losing margin the Nets have had was 14 against the Celtics this past Friday. 

Each of their games has been within 15 points, whether they win or lose, and even in the games that they lose, it feels like the Nets are in it from the jump, and that maybe they should have a better record than 5-5.

Entering a Cam Thomas-less Stretch

Third year guard Cam Thomas has been a standout performer for the Brooklyn Nets, in the early part of the season, averaging 27 points per game. However, just 8 games into the season, Thomas went down with an ankle injury, sidelining him for at least two weeks. The Nets 14th ranked scoring offense, averaging 113.2 points per game, will have to look elsewhere for buckets until Thomas returns.

Since Thomas went down, the Nets have lost to the Celtics and won against the Wizards. In those games, Mikal Bridges and Lonnie Walker IV have been the leading scorers, with Cam Johnson and Spencer Dinwiddie playing their part as well. Yet, for the Nets to string together a series of victories, each player must uphold a level of consistency on a nightly basis.

What’s Going Wrong in the Losses?

In the first two games of the seasons, against the Cavaliers and Mavericks, the Nets had the game within 1 point (down by 1 vs. Cleveland, up by 1 vs. Dallas). However, despite having leads in the 4th quarter of both those games, the Nets couldn’t find a way to close it out. 

In both matchups against the Celtics, the halftime leads proved insurmountable for the Nets, and similarly, in the game against Milwaukee, the Nets' second-half leads fell short of surpassing the Bucks.

“Got some good looks but that’s who [Giannis] is and that’s what makes it so tough,” said Mikal Bridges following the loss to the Bucks. “We just gotta know how to win games at the end. We won close games, I think what, all our wins were close games…Everybody just needs to lock in, it’s just that 4th quarter.”

It seems that in the clutch, the Nets just seem to let the games get away from them. They’ve been competitive in every game, but don’t have a Giannis or veteran clutch guy that they can count on late in the game. 

In Cam Thomas' absence, various players now have the opportunity to fill the void. To climb out of the 9th spot in the East, the Nets must enhance their late-game decision-making to secure victories with their early leads.

The Nets play an improved Magic team tomorrow and will look to gain momentum following their win against the Wizards.

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