Just whenever you assume it may’t get any worse, in comes the stark reminder that there’s all the time one other stage beneath the basement.
Kevin Durant mentioned it finest: The coach can solely achieve this a lot. It falls on the gamers to make an affect in a sport.
Those gamers didn’t step up within the first sport following Steve Nash’s dismissal as Nets head coach. The Nets led by as many as 12 however in the end forfeited that lead in a 108-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday.
And Durant was the primary Net to stroll off the ground after the loss, leaving the ground after placing his head right into a towel.
“The message I told the guys afterwards, no excuses,” mentioned interim coach Jacque Vaughn after the sport. “Whether it’s back to back, no excuses. Whether the change in scenery of today, no excuses. This is what we do for a living. We signed up for it. It was gameday, so we’ve got to bring it.”
It was a sight for sore eyes. Kyrie Irving was a whole non-factor. Under the stress of his controversial put up on social media, Irving completed with 4 factors and 7 assists on 2-of-12 capturing from the sector. The star guard was something however vivid towards the Bulls, lacking all six of his makes an attempt from downtown.
“I thought he got some good looks. So we’ll take those any time,” Vaughn mentioned. “We need him to be at premium level every night for us. That’s just part of how we’re built and trust that he’ll be ready to do it again.”
Durant scored 32 factors on 9-of-17 capturing from downtown however with out Ben Simmons, he was compelled to play the facilitator function. Durant turned the ball over six instances with a number of miscues down the stretch.
The Nets constructed a bonus within the fourth quarter, considerably powered by Royce O’Neale, the newly acquired 3-and-D wing who set a brand new career-high with 20 factors on a 3 he made on the 8:44 mark within the last interval. After hitting that three, he pointed at completely different gamers on the Bulls’ bench.
The Nets by no means had management of the sport once more.
Zach LaVine stole the present, scoring 22 of his 29 factors within the fourth quarter alone. DeMar DeRozan added 20 factors and former Net Goran Dragic scored 15 factors off the bench.
What occurs subsequent with these Nets is unsure. They play the Washington Wizards on Friday however it’s unclear whether or not Vaughn will stay on the helm or if normal supervisor Sean Marks will rent Nash’s alternative earlier than then.
What’s clear in Brooklyn, nonetheless, is what Durant mentioned days earlier than Nash’s dismissal. It’s extra than simply teaching. It’s on the person, and Durant has been the one particular person constantly exhibiting up for the Nets this season.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com