Every game counts, and the Nets just chalked one.
On the second leg of a back-to-back, in a game with explicit playoff implications, the Nets ran out of gas at Orlando’s Amway Center and lost to the Magic, 119-106.
It marked Brooklyn’s sixth loss in their last seven games following Saturday’s convincing victory over the Miami Heat.
“Really we didn’t make shots, if you want to boil it down to one particular thing,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said postgame. “Guys gave what they had tonight, across the board.
“It’s a tough one, a tough one. We come off a good win and the message to the guys is we’re gonna have to earn every single win we get.”
The Nets are now tied with the Heat (40-34) but retain their standing as the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed because they hold the tiebreaker, having swept Miami in the season series, 4-0.
If only the Nets could say the same about the lottery-bound Magic, who own a bottom-six record in all of basketball.
Vaughn emptied the bench with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, as the Magic led by 16 and responded to a flurry of futile Nets runs.
It was a game the Nets lacked punch from the opening tipoff: Brooklyn built an early five-point lead thanks to Mikal Brides’ hot shooting, but Orlando’s ability to pound the paint crippled a Nets team still searching for help on the inside. The Magic scored 58 points in the paint to the Nets’ 38 at the rim.
Bridges exploded for 44 points on 13-of-22 shooting from the field and six-of-nine shooting from the three-point line. It marked the second highest-scoring game of his career and tied a career-high in threes made in a game. Bridges also shot 12-of-12 from the line, career-highs in both attempts and makes.
“Usually I struggle here in Orlando,” he said. “But I really don’t care. I was just trying to get the win.
“I feel like every time I come here I have an injury or something. I can care less right now. I wish we could have won.”
Aside from Cam Thomas — who replaced Seth Curry (personal reasons) and Edmond Sumner (right hip contusion) — however, Bridges got little help. Thomas scored 18 off the bench on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, but only one other Net scored in double figures.
Spencer Dinwiddie missed all 11 of his shot attempts, Dorian Finney-Smith shot one-of-seven from the field, Cam Johnson shot one-of-five from downtown, and the Nets couldn’t get a flow offensively.
“We were 2-for-26 from three besides Mikal,” Vaughn said postgame. “So we were searching, trying to find ways to score the basketball.”
The defense also faltered, allowing a bottom-third Orlando offense to score a combined 68 points in the second and third quarters. The Magic led by as many as 20.
The Nets now have seven games left on the schedule with two days off before Wednesday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets, another opponent with a poor record the Nets will have to close out.
“It’s tough to win in this league and then Orlando plays well at home,” said Bridges. “Just a tough game, and had Royce and Ed out, too.”
In Brooklyn’s favor, six of the Nets’ last seven games are at Barclays Center. Working against the Nets: their season finale is against Joel Embiid, James Harden and the No. 3-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
“It’s a tough one, a tough one. We come off a good win and the message to the guys is we’re gonna have to earn every single win we get.”
Vaughn said. “Every game is important. Nobody’s gonna give it to us. We’ve gotta go get it.”
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Vaughn said Curry’s status for Wednesday’s matchup against the Rockets is uncertain.”Still up in the air so we’ll see when we get back,” he said. “Hopefully those two days off are good for our entire group.”
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The Nets have one more back-to-back on the schedule this season: Tuesday, April 4 at Barclays Center against the Minnesota Timberwolves, then Wed., April 5 in Detroit against the Pistons.
The Nets didn’t get a full 24 hours in-between Saturday’s 8 p.m. tipoff in Miami and Sunday’s 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Orlando.
Vaughn didn’t want to use that as an excuse.
”We have another back to back,” he said, “and we’ll have to end up dealing with it better than this, for sure.”
Bridges echoed a similar sentiment.
“There’s a lot of excuses in the world, but that’s definitely one,” he said. “Give credit to Orlando, too, they’ve been playing well. They played harder than us.”
