“We’re going to have to be systematic with some of the decisions we make,” Marks said.” And they may not always be in line with winning the next game or putting the most talent out there.”

After a surprising 9-10 start under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez, the Nets have gone 4-16 since and dropped their fifth straight game following Sunday’s 112-111 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz at Delta Center.

Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton have been traded. Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, D’Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons continue to miss extended stretches as the team has been overly cautions with any injury reported.

And the Nets could make additional moves ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. No one is same, and Johnson, Thomas, Ben Simmons or Nic Claxton could be sent to new teams. All of it is in service of securing a Top 4 selection in the 2025 NBA Draft.

“I think, like we always do, we’re always going to be listening, we’re always going to be canvassing the league, and when there’s opportunities for us to build that that sort of fit our long term approach here and how we will build and, you know, again, acquiring draft assets and so forth is going to be important for us, but at the same time, it’s establishing a culture,” Marks said after Schroder was traded in December.

According to Tankathon’s latest projections, the Nets would pick at No. 6, No. 17, No. 26 and No. 27 if the season ended today. They have a 37.2% chance of landing a Top 4 pick and a 9.0% chance of securing the No. 1 overall pick.

Utah (10-28), Charlotte (8-28), Toronto (8-31), New Orleans (8-32) and Washington (6-31), have the five best lottery odds entering Monday’s games. Portland has the seventh-best lottery odds behind Brooklyn.

The Top 3 positions have a 52.1% chance at landing a Top 4 pick and a 14.0 percent chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick.

“To be frank, you’ve still got to get a little lucky,” Marks said. “We all know that. The hot-button topic has always been the draft. We all know we’ve still got to get lucky. At the end of the day, the Ping-Pong balls are going to drop a certain way.”

The Nets and Jazz both had 11 active players for Sunday’s game because of injuries. Brooklyn visits Portland on Tuesday while Utah hosts Charlotte.

Collier finished with a career-high 23 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Collin Sexton added 21 points to lead the Jazz, snapping a three-game losing streak. Svi Mykhailiuk and Brice Sensabaugh chipped in 16 points apiece.

Sensabaugh put Utah up 110-108 on a 3-pointer with 1:48 left but Tosan Evbuomwan knocked down a pair of go-ahead free throws with 6.4 remaining.

Evbuomwan led Brooklyn with 22 points and Ziaire Williams added 19. Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton each tallied 14 points. Simmons added nine assists and Claxton collected 12 rebounds.

Brooklyn dropped its fifth straight game.

With the Nets leading by one, Collier and Sensabaugh bookended a 13-3 run with a pair of 3-pointers to put Utah up 85-76 with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Brooklyn trailed the entire fourth quarter until Williams made four straight free throws to tie the game at 102 with 1:01 left in regulation.

Takeaways

Nets: Missed baskets and missed free throws at critical junctures cost Brooklyn a shot at securing its second win in its last five road games.

Jazz: Efficient perimeter shooting carried Utah to its third home win of the season. The Jazz made 17 3-pointers and shot 39% from long distance.

Key moment

Tyrese Martin and Claxton both missed potential go-ahead baskets in the final 30 seconds of regulation while the Jazz went scoreless over the final two-minute stretch.

Key stat

Brooklyn and Utah both only had 11 players active for the game due to assorted injuries.

Up next

Brooklyn is at Portland on Tuesday while Utah hosts Charlotte on Wednesday.

By John Coon

Ben Simmons returned from a four-game absence against the Nuggets, and in the game’s opening minutes, he set the tone for Brooklyn in terms of pace and energy at both ends of the court.

The 6-10 guard started 3-for-3 from the field in his first five minutes with three assists and two steals. The Nets started 5-for-5 from the field as a team, with each starter connecting on their first attempt. That offensive rhythm was sustained throughout the first quarter, as they scored 36 points on 65% shooting, knocked down five 3-pointers and got eight points, four rebounds and two steals from Simmons — good for a four-point lead entering the second quarter.

One of the biggest issues for the Nets early — and throughout the night — was containing Jokić, who had 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting in his first 10 minutes on the court. They never figured him out. Brooklyn’s shooting cooled down to just 26.9% in the second quarter while Denver went 9-for-17 from inside the arc. Jokić had 20 points by halftime and the Nuggets had a 65-59 advantage.

Brooklyn appeared to be outmatched in the third quarter, as the Nuggets opened the period on a 22-9 run to open up an 87-68. However, the Nets did respond with an 11-4 run to end the third quarter to trim their deficit to 15 points. They didn’t go out without a fight.

Two-way forward Tosan Evbuomwan drained back-to-back threes early in the fourth quarter to cut Denver’s lead to nine, then minutes later, two-way guard Reece Beekman hit from deep to make it a five-point game with 8:01 left.

The Nets were on a 24-7 extended run at that point. Each bucket came from their bench, and they did it with Simmons and Nic Claxton on the sideline. But out of a timeout, the Nuggets answered with back-to-back buckets to push their lead up to nine. The Nuggets pulled away from there.

The Nets, losers of four straight, dropped to 13-25 with the loss.

All five Brooklyn starters finished in double figures, led by Keon Johnson, who scored 22 points. Evbuomwan and Tyrese Martin added 10 and 19 points off the bench, respectively. Simmons finished with 10 points, four rebounds and seven assists after his strong start.

The Nets tallied a season-best 27 fastbreak points in the loss, outscoring Denver 27-23 in the category. Noah Clowney went 7-for-7 at the free throw line, marking a career high for free throws made in a game.

Jokić led Denver with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists. Russell Westbrook registered a triple-double of his own with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

Brooklyn will return to action on Sunday against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center, its second matchup in a six-game West Coast swing.

But general manager Sean Marks had other plans. Schröder did not fit the Nets’ rebuilding timeline. The team wanted to stockpile future assets and add intriguing young talent, so the 31-year-old was traded to the Golden State Warriors with a second-round pick for De’Anthony Melton, two-way guard Reece Beekman and three unprotected second-round picks.

Schröder averaged 18.4 points and 6.6 assists across 23 games with Brooklyn this season while shooting 45.2% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range. At the time, he was one of seven guards who averaged at least 18 points and five assists while shooting at least 45% from the field, 35% from deep and 85% from the free throw line. That production has been missed.

The Nets’ first game without Schröder was against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 16, an embarrassing 130-101 loss at Barclays Center. And since he was dealt to the Warriors, Brooklyn’s once fun-to-watch offense has sputtered, going from an offensive rating of 113.1 (22nd) to 104.5 (25th).

With the Warriors, Schröder was expected to step in as another backcourt scorer to help maximize the team’s championship window, to contribute at a high level for a championship-contending team. That hasn’t exactly worked out. He has averaged just 9.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists over his first 12 games with Golden State. The Warriors are 19-18 entering Friday’s games and 5-7 since Schröder arrived.

Schröder’s fit with the Warriors was always questionable. He went from being arguably the best guard on Brooklyn’s roster to another cog in Golden State’s machine. The Warriors are Schröder’s ninth NBA team, and according to some, he could be on the move again ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Earlier in the week, CBS Sports revealed a list of trade candidates around the league and Schröder was listed in tier 5, reserved for players in situations that are simply not working.

The NBA is a tough business, even for high-value trade target such as Schröder, and the grass is not always greener on the other side.

“The Warriors landed Schroder hoping he could be their secondary scorer,” CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn wrote. “Instead, he’s shooting 31.3% from the floor and Golden State is just [5-7] since acquiring him. Don’t be surprised if the Warriors try to flip Schroder elsewhere for a better-fitting role player or aggregate his salary with a few other players to get a big name.”

“I’ve come to learn every minute you play out there should matter,” Noah Clowney said. “Somebody’s always watching. So, trying to make the most of every possession.”

Brooklyn was pretty shorthanded in Monday’s game against the Pacers but outscored them 31-23 in the third quarter to keep things interesting — until Indiana woke up down the stretch and pulled away.

Wednesday’s 113-98 loss to the red-hot Detroit Pistons at Barclays Center played out in a similar fashion — except this time the Nets had just eight available players after Day’Ron Sharpe (illness), Ben Simmons (lower back injury management) and Dariq Whitehead (concussion protocol) were ruled out earlier in the day, joining Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain), Cam Johnson (right ankle sprain), D’Angelo Russell (right shin contusion), Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) and Maxwell Lewis (left tibia fracture) on the inactive list.

Fernandez started Clowney, Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams and Nic Claxton against the Pistons — Reece Beekman, Jalen Wilson and Tosan Evbuomwan were the reserves off the bench — and his guys came out swinging.

“That’s what’s important for me. That keep fighting mentality, that’s what we want to be,” Fernandez said.

The Nets shot just 32.1% in the first quarter but were down only two points entering the second thanks to six forced turnovers, 10 early points from Clowney, and an early 11-2 edge in second-chance points. It helped that the Pistons went 2-for-6 from deep over the first 12 minutes of action.

Fernandez’s troops were down 10 at halftime, but Beekman went 3-for-3 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free throw line in the second quarter to keep the game from getting out of hand, plus the Nets limited the Pistons to 44.8% shooting in the period — massive defensive improvement from the 58.8% shooting average they surrendered to Detroit in the opening quarter.

Clowney poured in 15 points in the first half on 5-for-11 shooting, matching the highest-scoring half of his career. Fittingly, the second-year forward — given the greenest light of the season — finished the night with a career-high 29 points in his eighth start of the year. The 20-year-old added six rebounds, three assists and two steals, and knocked down five 3-pointers.

“I think anytime you have a good performance it’s good for your confidence because obviously you know what you can do but when you do it at the highest level in the real games where it matters, it translated,” Clowney said.” “So, yeah, it’s a good feeling. It helps confidence, for sure.”

It was the kind of game fans have waited for, one that should do wonders for his confidence going forward. But Clowney couldn’t carry the Nets alone on Wednesday — or spare them from a third straight loss.

“I think the good thing is, he’s showing us what he’s able to do. He’s showing us coaches, he’s showing his teammates,” Fernandez said of Clowney.

Brooklyn went on a 10-2 run to cut the Pistons’ lead to six with 5:37 left in the third quarter, but Detroit responded with a 16-2 run to push the lead back up to 20 and built a 91-70 advantage entering the fourth quarter. The Pistons kept their distance with a 28-22 final frame to earn their fifth straight win.

“We didn’t always hit back and that’s the outcome,” Clowney said.

Martin notched his first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Evbuomwan added 13 points off the bench. Malik Beasley led Detroit with 23 points and five assists.

The Nets finished winless in their three-game homestand. Wednesday marked seven straight losses at Barclays Center. They leave for a six-game road trip on Thursday, where they will face the Nuggets first on Friday, followed by matchups against the Jazz, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Lakers and Thunder.

For starters, Day’Ron Sharpe, who finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists off the bench in Monday’s home loss to the Indiana Pacers, was ruled out against Detroit because of an illness.

“He wasn’t feeling great yesterday, and we tried to do what we could, but sometimes you just have to go through it,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We’ll have him back soon.”

Ben Simmons missed his fourth straight game as Brooklyn continues to manage his lower back issues. And Dariq Whitehead, who was called up from the G League for Monday’s game, suffered a concussion while playing with Long Island on Wednesday.

“It’s just managing it and making sure we can take the proper steps with him,” Fernandez said of Simmons. “Obviously he’s played more than he’s played in the last two, three years and that’s a good sign… And right now, this discomfort, whatever he’s got going on with his calf that is related to managing his back, we just have to be cautious and keep working to where he can continue to play basketball, which is important to us.”

The Nets were also without Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain), Cam Johnson (right ankle sprain), D’Angelo Russell (right shin contusion), Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) and Maxwell Lewis (left tibia fracture) against the Pistons.

Bojan Bogdanović (left foot injury recovery) has yet to appear in a game this season.
De’Anthony Melton tore his left ACL before he was traded to Brooklyn from the Golden State Warriors and is out for the rest of the season.

With that long list of inactives, Fernandez was forced to rely on Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams, Nic Claxton, Noah Clowney, Reece Beekman, Jalen Wilson and Tosan Evbuomwan against the Pistons.

“Just go out there and fight, because I think having the opportunity to play minutes for all these guys has to be meaningful,” Fernandez said. “And I’m never going to think, ‘I wish I had my full team’. I want to have all the guys healthy and back, but the reality is, right now we have the bodies that we have. We have to have good, positive energy and be excited to play basketball. That’s all I can focus on right now — use the guys that we have and don’t think about the ones that we don’t have.”

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Wednesday was the final home game before they embark on a six-game road trip, where they will face the Nuggets, Jazz, Trail Blazers, Clippers, Lakers and Thunder.

Those six Western Conference opponents had a combined record of 111-101 entering Wednesday’s games, with Oklahoma City leading the pack at 30-5. Cam Johnson is expected to be re-evaluated before Brooklyn departs on Thursday, and Thomas is expected to be re-evaluated when the team returns.

“That’s where we’re at right now, trying to be better than the last game,” Fernandez said. “Obviously bodies are limited at this point, but it’s exciting, because if you’re one of those players, you’re going to play a lot of minutes.”

LONG TIME, NO SEE

When the Nets play the Lakers on Jan. 17, it will be the first time they faced off against Dorian Finney-Smith since last month’s trade. The forward has averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in his first five appearances for Los Angeles.

The Lakers traded Russell, Lewis and three future second-round picks in 2027, 2030 and 2031 to the Nets for Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton.

You probably already saw the play at this point. With under 18 minutes left in the second half, Flagg, guarding a big in the low post, jumped into the passing lane, stole the ball and broke out into the open court. The 6-7 forward needed just three dribbles to get into the paint. Once in scoring range, he took off a few steps inside the free throw line and threw down a one-handed tomahawk slam over a 7-foot center.

Duke outscored Pittsburg 37-21 after Flagg’s dunk.

“I think him and I were pissed because I think there was a disagreement on the out-of-bounds call beforehand,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said when asked about Flagg’s dunk after the game. “I was still focusing on that, he was still focusing on the next play, which I should’ve been, too.

“So, I just caught the end of it. It reminded me of, like, a Zion [Williamson] kind of play. That’s what it reminded me of, because of how it sparked Cameron [Indoor Stadium].”

Was it college basketball’s dunk of the year? Possibly. Flagg’s legend continues to grow, and that is why bottom-dwelling teams across the NBA — the Nets included — would rather lose games than miss out on the chance to draft an elite prospect like him.

The Nets still have work to do if they hope to even sniff the No. 1 overall pick in June. According to Tankathon’s latest projections, Brooklyn would pick at No. 7, No. 19, No. 25 and No. 27 if the season ended today. It currently has a 32% chance at a Top 4 pick and a 7.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick.

“He gets angry, but he’s loose at the same time,” Scheyer said. “He loves being in the arena, but he’s got an edge to him now, and it can go quick. We saw that tonight. He picked up his third [foul] and it just got him going.”

Flagg, 18, finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists against Pittsburgh. Fourteen of his points came in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. He is averaging 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and four assists over his last five games for Duke.

“He’s proven it with who he’s played with and how he’s done it in such a mature way,” Scheyer said. “He’s just so competitive, and he just brings out a lot of good stuff from his teammates.”

According to Tankathon’s latest projections, Brooklyn would pick at No. 7, No. 19, No. 25 and No. 27 in June if the season ended today. It currently has a 32% chance at a Top 4 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and a 7.5% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick.

As the Nets continue to tank their season for higher draft position, some believe there are still lower depths they can reach. Trading away Dennis Schröder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton obviously helped in that pursuit. General manager Sean Marks now commands 31 draft picks over the next seven years.

Brooklyn cannot stay healthy right now, either. Cam Johnson (right ankle sprain) will not be re-evaluated until Thursday at the earliest. Cam Thomas (left hamstring strain) will not see the court until after the team returns from its upcoming six-game road trip. Trendon Watford (left hamstring strain) has not appeared in a game since Dec. 16. D’Angelo Russell missed Monday’s game because of a right shin contusion and the team will not rush him back. And Ben Simmons’ availability continues to be hit-or-miss as he continues to recover from offseason back surgery.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez was forced to trot out a starting lineup of Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams, Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton against the Pacers. While each has earned their keep in the league, that is far from the makeup of a competitive NBA team.

“I love my players,” Fernandez told reporters following Monday’s loss. “I’m never going to say the other players are better than my players, that’s never going to come out of my mouth. My players are great, we just have to find a way to be better and cut out some mistakes.”

However, you will not catch the first-year head coach throwing his players — or organization — under the bus publicly. While current circumstances are out of his control, his expectations remain the same, and he is committed to competing with whatever pieces he has.

Excuses are simply not his style.

“No matter if we’re up by 20, down by 20, it doesn’t matter with Jordi,” Day’Ron Sharpe said. “He wants to play hard, aggressive all game, pick up full court all game, make another team play hard all game. That’s why everybody’s buying into it. Even the games we’re down 35, we’re trying to lose by 15, you know? Just because we’re down by 35 doesn’t mean everybody just goes out there and does whatever. We’re still going to play hard, run our stuff, and make them play.”

Most of what is happening to the Nets right now is by design. But as Marks continues the process of identifying who in the locker room is worthy of sticking around for what comes next, there is still plenty to play for.

Sharpe appears to understand what is at stake. The second-year forward finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds in Monday’s loss, setting new season highs in both categories. The Nets were undermanned entering the night and he stepped up.  His nine offensive rebounds tied a career high and helped Brooklyn to a 33-8 edge in second chance points. He also tied a career high with five assists, showcasing his progress as a playmaker on the block.

“Impressive,” Fernandez said. “His effort, second, third, fourth on the glass, that’s his superpower. That’s why we need him to bring that every game and then keep getting better in other aspects… I thought he was fantastic. The extra possessions but also finishing. That’s a good step for him, but also, him doing that makes us better. All these reps right now are huge.”

Brooklyn started Keon Johnson, Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams, Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton. And as you’d probably expect, Brooklyn found itself down 16 points at halftime and was shooting just 34.8% from the field and 31.6% from 3-point range with eight turnovers. Indiana had three players in double figures in the first half while the Nets, paced by Williams and Martin, had none.

However, sometimes the scariest opponents are a group of guys with something to prove and nothing to lose. These Nets kept chipping away.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez is always preaching about “Brooklyn Grit”, and it was on full display in the third quarter, as the Nets limited a healthy Indiana team to 31.8% shooting (2-for-11 from deep), converted on 52% of their attempts, dominated the glass and closed period on a 12-0 run to cut their deficit to eight entering the final frame.

Clowney scored nine of his 14 points in a third-quarter run where he went 2-for-2 from deep. Fernandez played nine guys in the period, and all but Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe got a bucket. The Pacers led by 24 points two minutes into the second half, so Brooklyn deserves some credit for fighting back.

“I was very, very proud of them and the way they played all the way through,” Fernandez said. “Just kept fighting until the end.”

But it wasn’t enough. Indiana woke up and won the fourth quarter 35-29 to earn its 19th win of the season. The Nets’ willingness to scrap and do the little things is what kept the game close for a while. They outrebounded the Pacers 51-35 and had a 33-8 edge in second chance points, courtesy of 20 offensive rebounds.

Sharpe set a new season high with 13 total rebounds, nine of which were on the offensive glass.

“You better box me out,” Sharpe said. “You 7-4, you 7-5”, it doesn’t matter, you better box me out. I feel like I can do it against anybody, no matter how much you weigh or how tall you are.”

Brookyln just ran out of firepower in the end. Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 23 and 20 points, respectively, and Pascal Siakam added 19 points. Sharpe was the Nets’ leading scorer with 16 points off the bench in a 41.8% team shooting effort, and that should tell you everything you need to know about how effective their offense was Monday night.

Brooklyn also turned it over 14 times, which gifted the Pacers 23 points. It failed to score 100 points for a second straight game, falling to 13-23 this season 0-2 in its current homestand.

Dariq Whitehead, who was called up from the G League after Brooklyn’s latest slew of injuries, played just three minutes in garbage time and knocked down a 3-pointer.

The Nets will return to action on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons at Barclays Center.

Russell did not play in the second half of Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of a right shin contusion, which left the Nets completely gutted in a 123-94 home loss. He had five points, four rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes.

The 28-year-old was listed as questionable entering Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center but was ruled out just minutes before head coach Jordi Fernandez sat down at the podium for his pregame news conference.

Ben Simmons (lower back injury management) was also ruled out against the Pacers. No Russell, Thomas or Simmons meant the Nets were severely undermanned in the backcourt.

“You know, it’s next man up,” Fernandez said. “As long as we have a 9, 10-man rotation, we’re in a good place. And I think that the guys, I want to see these guys, like I said before, taking the next step, doing things that they’re not accustomed to doing. It’s exciting. It’s exciting to see some guys handling more, some guys at the point guard more, some guys taking more shots, creating those shots, taking those different roles. So, it’s a good opportunity to see growth in a lot of these guys.”

Russell has averaged 12.7 points, two rebounds and eight assists in three games since joining the Nets. Simmons missed his third straight game on Monday. Fernandez did not provide a timetable for when Russell or Simmons will return.

“We’re not going to rush [them] if they’re not 100% at play and if it could turn into something worse,” Fernandez said. “For sure the number one thing for us is their health, their bodies. And we’ll have ten other bodies to go out there and fight”

WHITEHEAD CALLED UP

With Russell, Simmons and Thomas out, second-year guard Dariq Whitehead was called up from the G League to add backcourt depth. The 20-year-old averaged 12.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 13 games on Long Island this season.

“He’s done a good job trying to do what we ask him to do here, trying to go there in those games and do it too, how we want him to play in the NBA,” Fernandez said. “Obviously, when we define a role for you, we want you to take the same shots, it’s just a different team obviously and you’ll play a certain number of minutes, maybe more. Still, we want you to play in a way that you come here, and you’ll do the same things. We’re happy with his attitude, the way he’s worked, and we want to see him keep getting better.”

MORE MINUTES FOR EVBUOMWAN?

There are obviously plenty of minutes to go around with the Nets’ latest slew of injuries, and until guys get healthy, that could mean more minutes for two-way player Tosan Evbuomwan.

Evbuomwan, who inked a two-way deal with Brooklyn last week, made his debut against the 76ers and finished with three points in 21 minutes. The England native became the second Princeton alum to suit up for the Nets all-time, joining Steve Goodrich.

“We don’t want to see anybody get hurt, but at the same time, now we have enough bodies to go out there and compete,” Fernandez said. “So, opportunities that are important in life in general, and the NBA, it’s — you know, you see it all the time. Guys that, they see that window and an opportunity to take advantage of it.”