November 20, 2015, Queens, NY What do you call it when you lose by 25 in game where the score doesn’t reflect how bad it really was? The word “Massacre” comes to mind. And that’s what happened tonight to the Brooklyn Nets at TD Garden up in Beantown (home of PureSportsNY NFL Picks expert John Payant, a.k.a. J-Pay).
The Nets lost 120-95, dropping their record to 2-11. At the current pace, the Nets would finish 13-69. That’s better than the 1973 Philadelphia 76ers who have the dubious honor of the worst regular season record in NBA history over an 82-game season, winning 9 of 82 games. Back in 2012, the Charlotte Hornets won only seven games in a strike-shortened season.
“It was a disappointing loss. It was a disappointing performance,” said a despondent Lionel Hollins. Jarrett Jack had an awful game, turning the ball over seven times. He wasn’t the sole culprit, but turnovers are a death knell in the Association. And so is yielding 120 points over 48 minutes. And so is 39.3% from the field. And so is your opponent shooting 58.6% from the field.
Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young were the leading scorers for the Nets scoring 14 points apiece. Avery Bradley was the leading scorer for the Celtics netting 21 points off the bench. Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas scored 19 and 18 points respectively.
The Nets get to return the favor on Sunday at 6 p.m. (EST) on their home court. Tickets are still available for the game at Barclays Center. The game will also be televised over the YES Network.
Professor Clifford Benton can be reached at @cliffordbenton.