After playing with fire in the last three games, the Nets were finally burned.
They found ways to win in those three games, despite some moments of nervousness. But the NBA’s hottest team suddenly froze in a 121-113 loss to Magic before 3,665 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Kyrie Irving scored 43 points, but went to waste. The Nets (28-14) look good, but they just couldn’t make it fall when their six-game winning streak in the NBA broke out and they lost half a game behind the 76ers in the Eastern Conference.
Although the Nets’ shots did not fall, the fighter Magic (14-27) was suddenly unable to miss.
“It just didn’t matter [what we did], ”Irving said. “I was coming up shooting in a layup, they were getting free throws or a 3 point ball was going across the net, or some kind of play was going on where we were looking at each other, we just have to give them a slap on the butt and say good game.
“They clashed very desperately, and we didn’t match their energy, so [it] it happens like that. This is the feeling of losing. We don’t want too many feelings like this, so just learn from it and move on. “
After 103-84 in the fourth period, the Nets opened the period with a 16-1 streak to reach four points. But that was as close as they got.
The Nets created open shots, but finished only 10 to 37 in the 3-point range. Meanwhile, the Magic – last in percentage of field goal entering – went from 21 to 40 from the bottom. Aaron Gordon, who finished with 38 points, entered a zone and the Nets failed to get him out.
“Teams have to be perfect to beat us, and they are just getting their kicks right – hard kicks,” said Bruce Brown. “I never saw Aaron Gordon hit shots like that in my life. So, just a rough night. “
It’s been a while since the Nets had one of these. They had won 14 of their last 15, including a team record eight straight on the road. But this is over.
James Harden had 19 points and nine assists, while Joe Harris added 16. But after registering marathon minutes on Wednesday in Indiana, they looked exhausted.
Harden shot 4 to 15 overall and 2 to 8 in the 3-point range. And Harris – hitting 50 percent from the depths this season – had just 3 out of 13, including an aerial ball.
“I think James and Joe felt fatigue. They had a heavy burden against Indiana, so I think those two certainly felt a little fatigue in their legs, ”said coach Steve Nash. “Sometimes you can play very, very hard and be very, very active, but that does not mean that your legs will be there in your shot.”
The Nets were left behind at 25-18 early on. They recovered with seven unanswered to tie in a 3-point Landry Shamet, but the tie was short-lived. The Nets fell back by 48-36 in a 3-point Evan Fournier with 7: 9 to the end of the break.
Another 8-0 run with the Nets brought them back to the attacking distance with 52-49, and they resumed the lead briefly with 65-64, when Irving opened the second half with a 3. But briefly it was the keyword .
The Nets made a long run of 29-11 in the next eight minutes, with Nikola Vucevic’s free throws making the 93-76 with 3:51 remaining in the third.
“We couldn’t afford a bucket,” said Shamet. “It’s the NBA: if you dig a hole, get 20 down for anyone sooner, it will be difficult to get back out.”
The Nets tried. With a 103-84 drop to start the fourth, they opened with an 11-0 streak – including an impressive touchdown pass from Harden to Nic Claxton.
Irving’s 15-foot pull-up put the Nets at 104-100. But they ran out of gas, falling behind by 11 and losing to a team that had lost nine in a row.
“I think 21 out of 40 out of 3 of them is excellent. That was, in many ways, the story of the game, ”said Nash. “If we had been a little bit sharper in the beginning, maybe we could have cut that out. But maybe it was just one of those nights. “