After playing with fire the last three games, the Nets finally burned out.
They had found ways to pull off victories in those three games, despite some nervous moments. But the NBA’s hottest team suddenly cooled off in a 121-113 loss to the Magic before 3,665 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Kyrie Irving added 43 points, but wasted. The Nets (28-14) looked good, but didn’t get them down, as the NBA’s six-game winning streak fell and fell halfway through the 76ers in the Eastern Conference.
While Nets ’shots wouldn’t fall, the Magic (14-27) who struggled suddenly couldn’t fail.
“It simply came to our notice then [what we did], ”Irving said. game.
“They came out of very desperate backs and so we didn’t match their energy [it] it happens like this. This is what it feels like to lose. We don’t want too many feelings like this, so we just have to learn and move on. ”
Finishing 103-84 through the fourth quarter, the Nets opened the period with a 16-1 run to get four points. But that’s as close as they got it.
The Nets created open shots, but finished just 10 for 37 from a 3-point distance. Meanwhile, the Magic (last percentage of field goals) went from 21 to 40 from the depths. Aaron Gordon, who finished with 38 points, went into an area and the Nets couldn’t get him out.
“The teams have to be perfect to beat us and they were just hitting shots, hard shots,” Bruce Brown said. “I’ve never seen Aaron Gordon shoot like that in my life. So just a hard night. “
The Nets have had one for a long time. They had won 14 of their last 15, including a record eight teams in a row on the road. But that was it.
James Harden added 19 points and nine assists, while Joe Harris added 16. But after registering for the marathon in Indiana on Wednesday, they looked exhausted.
Hardened shot at 4 of 15 overall and 2 of 8 at a 3-point range. And Harris, who hit 50 percent from the depth of this season, was just 3-on-13, including an air ball.
“I think James and Joe felt tired. They had a heavy load against Indiana, so I think they both felt a bit tired in their legs, “said coach Steve Nash.” Sometimes you can play very, very hard and be very, very active, but that doesn’t mean to say that the legs are there in his shot “.
The Nets fell behind 25-18 just outside the goal. They concentrated with seven responses without having to throw even a 3-point Landry Shamet, but the tie didn’t last long. The Nets fell behind 48-36 with a 3-point lead from Evan Fournier with 7:09 in the half.
Another Nets 8-0 run brought them back to an impressive 52-49 lead, and they briefly regained the lead at 65-64 when Irving opened the second half with a 3. But that was the short word.
The Nets coughed up an extensive 29-11 run over the next eight minutes, with Nikola Vucevic’s free throws making it 93-76 with 3:51 left in the third.
“We couldn’t buy a bucket,” Shamet said. “It’s the NBA: if you dig a hole, going down 20 to someone before, it’s going to be hard to get back up.”
The Networks tried. Down 103-84 to start the quarter, they opened in an 11-0 run, including an impressive touchdown pass from Harden to Nic Claxton.
Irving’s 15-foot finish got the Nets to run between 104 and 100. But they ran out of gas, falling behind by 11 and losing to a team that had lost nine in a row.
“I guess 21 out of 40 out of three are excellent. That was, in many ways, the story of the game, “said Nash. “If we had been a little sharper to begin with, maybe we could have reduced that. But maybe it was just one of those nights.”