After a short flight to L.A. and a quick night of sleep, it was back to losing, and all three of those players would be absent.<\/p>\n
The Nets had no chance, though. It was 21-21 after the first quarter. Low-scoring, right? Wrong. That was Brooklyn\u2019s highest-scoring quarter of the night. Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez\u2019s team briefly lead early in the second at 25-24, and then…an 102-42 run by L.A., I guess.<\/p>\n
Brooklyn was tired, and in their injured state, far less offensively talented than any NBA team has a right to be. Sure, they shot 5-of-27 from three, a pitiful 18.5%, but they only got up ten attempts in the first half. A team of players who are not supposed to carry NBA offenses by themselves were forced to, but even by those standards, they played poorly. And they were tired.<\/p>\n
And Kawhi Leonard scored his first 20-point game of the season for the Clips, and Bones Hyland and Kai Jones spent the entire fourth quarter fooling around and throwing lobs all over the court. And Ivica Zubac shoved Nic Claxton in a locker. And Noah Clowney got ejected…<\/p>\n
Jalen Wilson, at least, scored 15 points to lead the way.<\/p>\n
As midnight hit on the East Coast, it marked the four-year anniversary of James Harden\u2019s debut with the Brooklyn Nets. He hasn\u2019t been on the team in nearly three years, but scored 21 points against them on Wednesday night. Three years from now, this loss will exist solely on Basketball Reference, as Cooper Flagg and Giannis Antetokounmpo attempt to bring Brooklyn their second title in a row. Or they\u2019ll still stink. Who knows?<\/p>\n
The last time Brooklyn lost by 50, the head coach was fired (last season if you\u2019ve forgotten.) That won’t happen this time.<\/p>\n
Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez wasn\u2019t angry after the loss, he didn\u2019t threaten playing time or bang his fist on the podium: <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of those days that, you know, you don\u2019t do anything right. You don\u2019t have that right energy and togetherness, but you try, and you just need a little bit more focus, and all these things … I am proud of this group of guys, and I know they\u2019ll show up and work the next day. So it\u2019s all we can do right now, is have a positive but also a competitive mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just feel like you\u2019re not doing your job, honestly,\u201d said center Nic Claxton, who finished with two points on 1-of-7 shooting. \u201cWe\u2019ve all got a lot of pride, so we\u2019ve just got to be better. And we can\u2019t lose like this, though. Definitely can\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn, I don\u2019t know if I ever lost by this much. It\u2019s frustrating. It\u2019s definitely frustrating. And I feel like we\u2019ve been getting beat by a lot lately, if I\u2019m being honest,\u201d Claxton added. \u201cBut we\u2019re getting some guys back, and we\u2019ve just got to keep fighting. Have short-term memory.\u201d<\/p>\n
People will clown the Nets, as they should. Los Angeles handed them their worst loss in franchise history, and the worst loss in the NBA this season. There is half-a-season left. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. There\u2019s always another game tomorrow. Is that good news or bad news?<\/p>\n
\u201cThe energy and competitive spirit was not there, plain and simple. But right now, the only thing I can do is support my guys. It\u2019s never a good experience to go through this, but analyzing the whole season, none of our guys work for this, and they\u2019ve competed the whole time. So all I can do is support them, obviously own this myself as well, and show up the next day and try to be better.\u201d said Fern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n
He is, of course, right.<\/p>\n
Final Score: Los Angeles Clippers 126, Brooklyn Nets 67<\/p>\n
Injury Update<\/p>\n
Ben Simmons missed the game with injury maintenance, seeing as it was the second night of a back-to-back.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Angelo Russell, despite playing in Portland, missed Wednesday’s game with what Brooklyn listed as \u201cright shin contusion\/left hamstring tightness,\u201d slightly worrisome as the hamstring tightness has not been listed before.<\/p>\n
Cam Johnson, however, missed the game not with injury maintenance or a new injury, but yet again with a right ankle sprain. Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez told media pregame that Johnson had jammed it yet again in the first half on Tuesday, but powered through to finish the game anyway. Something to monitor moving forward.<\/p>\n
Milestone Watch<\/p>\n
The Clippers broke the franchise record for margin of victory, which had been 50 vs. Oklahoma City on April 10, 2022.
\nAs noted, It was the worst loss in Nets\u2019 history, eclipsing a 52-point defeat to Houston on Oct. 18, 1978. Kevin Loughery was the head coach, Bernard King was the best player and Phil Jackson, yes that Phil Jackson was a reserve.
\nIt was the 10th worst loss in NBA history, matching the Pistons 59-point loss to the Bucks, also in 1978.
\nLA\u2019s largest lead was 64 points midway through the fourth quarter, despite coach Tyronn Lue emptying his bench late in the third quarter.<\/p>\n
Next Up<\/p>\n
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Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images<\/p>\n