Inside The Nets

The Nets lose a close one to the Nuggets 117-122

The Brooklyn Nets lost their fifth straight game in a close result against defending champions, the Denver Nuggets.

Marin Gabric

© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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The Nets put themselves in the right positions to help win the game, but the Denver Nuggets got the better of them by the end. This is Brooklyn's fifth straight loss, the most consecutive defeats for the team this season.

Coach Jacque Vaughn's men had a golden opportunity to win the game but couldn't box out Jamal Murray when he missed his free throw. He hit another pair of shots from the charity stripe, helping them win 117-122.

"Yeah, it's interesting. You know, same strategy we had used the play before when Cam makes the three. So at that time, when you're down, you have limited timeouts, you have to take calculated risks," Vaughn said about the free-throw rebound debacle.

The Nuggets' stars overwhelmed the Nets

While the Nets performed well, they struggled to defend Denver's two stars, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The two-time MVP had a near triple-double of 31 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, while Jamal had 32 points, five rebounds, and nine assists.

Conversely, the Nets had a well-rounded performance, as seven players scored in double-figures. Cameron Thomas led the team with 23 points, and Cameron Johnson chipped in with 17 points. Nic Claxton had a phenomenal performance, too, as he had 10 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.

Unfortunately, Mikal Bridges was underwhelming again as he shot 7-of-16 from the field for 14 points. This has been the primary issue for Brooklyn over the past six games, as Bridges himself is frustrated with how much he has struggled recently.

Brooklyn has an opportunity to break the streak

Since they just lost to the defending champions, the Nets were the big underdogs heading into this match. They forced Denver into a close game, as they had to rely on their two stars to win. Following this, Brooklyn has two consecutive contests against the league-worst Detroit Pistons.

This upcoming pair of games will be a golden opportunity for the Nets as they are the heavy favorites over Detroit. They might be in a five-game rut, but the Pistons have 25 straight losses, which is only three losses below the record of 28 consecutive defeats held by the "Trust the Process" Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015/16 season.

Both games against the Pistons will be challenging because they are desperate for a win. Coach Vaughn and his team must ensure they're not overlooking Detroit because they need to break their embarrassing losing streak. The first game will be played at Barclays Center before the Nets travel to the Motor City to play at Little Caesars Arena.

Why Nic Claxton is okay with being a doubted player

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Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

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