The week was truly going well for the Brooklyn Nets. They finally hired a promising GM, got a nice win over the New York Knicks, and managed to cut ties with Andrea Bargnani.
Then, tonight happened. The Charlotte Hornets came in hot and stayed hot. Charlotte entered the Barclays Center on a 4 game win streak and extended it to five tonight. The Nets, meanwhile, ended their streak of one. Brooklyn's record is now an ugly 15-41 while the Hornets battle for a spot in the playoffs at 29-26.
So Close, Yet So Far
Interim coach Tony Brown has led the Nets to many great victories this season, but he's also led them to a few ugly defeats. Tonight was one of those ugly defeats. Quickly in the first half, the Nets found themselves down 15 thanks to the performance of Kemba Walker. Brooklyn managed to cut the lead down to just 4, but a wild buzzer beater from Nicolas Batum increased the lead to 7.
With the momentum on Charlotte's side, the Nets fell apart and let the Hornets dominate. They found themselves down 13 heading into the final quarter. Thanks to some solid play from Brook Lopez, the Nets cut their deficit to just 4. However, they choked under the pressure and couldn't capitalize on their momentum. Their fourth quarter play was characterized by bad turnovers and missed shots. The Hornets grabbed an easy win on the road.
Kemba Walking All Over The Nets
Kemba Walker has been hot this whole season. Since December 25th, he's second in the Eastern Conference for PPG. He's averaging 23.8 a game. Tonight was no different for the 25-year-old as Walker exploded for 28 points along with 3 assists and 2 steals. Shane Larkin and Donald Sloan could not lock him down despite their best efforts. If the Hornets make it to the playoffs, it'll be on the back of the young point guard.
In addition to Kemba, Nicolas Batum chipped in 16 points and 8 assists. Al Jefferson came in hot off the bench, scoring 11 along with 7 rebounds. Former NY sensation Jeremy Lin had a solid performance of 11 points and 5 rebounds.
A For Effort
The Nets didn't perform horribly on offense, but they just couldn't stop the superior Hornets performance. Joe Johnson had 17 points on the night on a clean 4-of-6 shooting night. Thaddeus Young came close to a double-double with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Brook Lopez, like usual, had a solid performance. The 7-foot center had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Markel Brown, the 24-year-old guard, continued to prove himself as a solid bench player this season for the Nets. He had 12 points and 3 assists, one of those being a sweet alley-oop to Brook Lopez.
Next Up
The Nets will be going up against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday to begin a long road-trip. As for Charlotte, the Hornets will be playing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.