It took simply the opening minutes of the primary quarter of the Nets’ 121-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday to know Brooklyn’s league-best 12-game profitable streak would come to an finish.
The Nets didn’t come out sharp in Chicago for his or her first of each a three-game highway journey and a four-game stretch towards playoff competitors.
When the Bulls took a 7-2 lead on the 9:37 mark within the first quarter — a run that required Kevin Durant to hit back-to-back pull up threes for the Nets to maintain — it turned clear the Bulls have been going to have the higher vitality on the evening.
Durant carried the Nets from the opening tip. He scored a season second-most 44 factors, together with 30 within the first half alone. He shot 5-of-10 from downtown and 15-of-22 from the sector as a complete.
It wasn’t sufficient to climate the storm within the Windy City. Brooklyn misplaced its first sport because the Dec. 4 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Starting wing Royce O’Neale had a taking pictures evening to overlook. O’Neale, who has develop into a dependable shooter beginning rather than Joe Harris, completed 0-of-9 from the sector and missed all eight of his wide-open three-point makes an attempt.
O’Neale missed three in a row to open the sport, and one other two wide-open seems late within the fourth quarter that might have closed the hole in crunch time.
Kyrie Irving completed with 25 factors on 10-of-24 taking pictures but in addition struggled from downtown, taking pictures 1-of-8 from deep. The Nets shot simply 12-of-37 from downtown as a group. Harris missed each of his seems from downtown, and Seth Curry was the one different shiny spot on an abysmal evening.
Curry shot six-of-seven from downtown for 22 factors.
Meanwhile, the Nets struggled to cease a stronger and extra bodily Bulls group. Nikola Vucevic, who has tortured the Nets since his time as an All-Star in Orlando, completed with 21 factors. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 and Bulls ahead Patrick Williams matched him with 22 of his personal.
The Nets misplaced on the rebounding margin, 46-34. It was considered one of their worse performances of the final month, coming the day after Jacque Vaughn earned Coach of Month of December honors.
The Nets now look on to their subsequent sport, with CJ McCollum and the New Orleans Pelicans internet hosting with out Zion Williamson on Friday.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com