NEW YORK _ All-Star Weekend was a festive occasion for the four Nets who took part in the events and for an organization celebrating a surprising resurgence this season. But the hangover was a killer for the Nets, who began the serious business of a playoff push with a miserable performance in a 113-99 loss to the rugged Trail Blazers on Thursday night at Barclays Center.
Trying to change things up for the cold-shooting Nets, coach Kenny Atkinson inserted Jared Dudley along with former Blazers Allen Crabbe, Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier in the fourth quarter. The Nets were down 14 points early in the period, but the ex-Blazers combined for 13 points in a 15-2 Nets run that cut their deficit to 90-89 when DeMarre Carroll hit a long jumper with 7:24 left.
That was as close as the Nets (30-30) got as they fell back to the .500 mark with their sixth loss in eight games. The Blazers (35-23) manhandled the Nets inside with centers Jusuf Nurkic (27 points, 12 rebounds) and Enes Kanter (18 points and nine rebounds). Portland outscored the Nets in the paint, 66-50. They also got 21 points from C.J. McCollum.
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