Kyrie Irving Says Nets Are in 'a Growth Period' After Loss vs. Kings

Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving said the team's current six-game losing streak represents a "growth period."

Irving discussed the Nets' recent struggles and how they'll move forward after Wednesday night's 112-101 road loss to the Sacramento Kings:

Brooklyn is just 2-7 since All-Star forward Kevin Durant suffered a knee injury in a Jan. 15 game against the New Orleans Pelicans. He's not expected to return until at least mid-February based on the initial four-to-six-week recovery timetable reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Nets have played seven of those nine games on the road, which means Irving has been available despite his continued absence for home contests because of New York City's vaccine mandate for large-scale events, but it hasn't been enough to offset the absence of KD.

Guard James Harden, who made just two of his 11 shots from the field in the loss to Sacramento, said the Nets have done "too much talking" and must focus on building consistency.

"We just got a lot of different things internally—lineups, we haven't had no continuity yet. So it's just one of those things where you got to keep going," Harden told reporters. "There's nothing else to do but keep going, keep pushing forward."

Consistency always figured to emerge as an issue for Brooklyn as it initially tried to play without Irving and then shifted to playing with him only in road games. Injuries to Durant, Joe Harris and LaMarcus Aldridge have only furthered the problem.

The question becomes whether the Nets, who have enough talent to emerge as top-tier title contenders, will ever find the chemistry they continue to seek, especially if Irving remains a part-time player when the postseason arrives.

Head coach Steve Nash was focused on the short term after Wednesday's defeat.

"This trip, our objective is to get better. The first two games and the first half tonight, we were getting better," Nash said. "We didn't contain the ball enough in the second half and we didn't make plays."

Brooklyn, which has dropped to 29-22, continues the five-game road trip Friday when it visits Vivint Arena to take on the Utah Jazz (31-21).