The Nets have overcome a slew of injuries to key players to win just enough games to remain around the lottery cut-off this season, but they couldn’t overcome dreadful outside shooting and sloppy play overall Saturday night.
With Dorian Finney-Smith the latest regular out of the lineup, the Nets connected on just 7 of 40 from 3-point range, but coach Jordi Fernandez was more upset over 19 turnovers in a sloppy 105-94 loss to the Jazz at Barclays Center to slip into a tie with Detroit for the No. 10 play-in position in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s about controlling the controllables. You can control how you take care of the ball. Obviously turnovers are part of the game, but we gotta be better,” Fernandez said. “And when you get punched, can we come together and respond? Up and down, I don’t think we did all the way through. I’m expecting our guys to be better.
“We cannot control if we go 7-for-40. I think the shots were good shots. I wish we could shoot better, but I’m not mad at the guys because we got good shots. But we just gotta be better.”
Ben Simmons at least encouragingly registered his third straight game scoring in double figures with a season-high 15 points, along with 10 assists and six rebounds, for the Nets, who will play at Miami on Monday.
But he and Cam Johnson also omitted six turnovers apiece in the loss.
“I think it was just turnovers. Obviously, that’s going to affect getting back [on defense], and too many easy transition buckets,” Simmons said. “I think we got a lot of great looks from 3, and 7-for-40, it’s right there. If a lot of those shots go, it’s a different conversation.”
Noah Clowney started in place of Finney-Smith and finished with 10 points and six boards, while Johnson added 18 for the Nets (11-17).
Lauri Markkanen netted 21 points while Svi Mykhailiuk and Collin Sexton scored 18 apiece as the Jazz (7-20) won consecutive games for the first time this season.
Nets general manager Sean Marks already dealt away guard Dennis Schroder last week, and players such as Johnson and Finney-Smith also could be moved before the Feb. 6 trade deadline to free up even more playing time for younger players.
Schroder’s departure also has moved Simmons back into the role of the team’s primary point guard, potentially opening up extra minutes up front.
The three-time All-Star netted six early points while Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin combined for a dozen off the bench in the first quarter as the Nets grabbed a 24-19 edge through one.
The Jazz used a 9-0 spurt featuring 3-pointers by Sexton and Johnny Juzang to grab a 42-39 lead late in the second quarter.
The Nets finished the half 3-for-16 from deep, including five misses by Keon Johnson, and they headed into intermission trailing by five.
Clowney skied for two offensive rebound and two dunked early in the third for his first points of the game, but the Jazz extended its lead to 10 for the first time with 3:41 remaining.
Jordan Clarkson (16 points) added a reverse dunk and a layup in the closing seconds for a 12-point bulge at 75-63 entering the final quarter.
Clarkson also nailed a trey in the opening minute of the fourth as the Jazz began to pull away with a 20-point advantage.
“There are simple things you have to do, and we didn’t do them, and we paid for it,” Fernandez said. “We’re not gonna get this game back, so we can be mad, mad at ourselves, and obviously move on.”