Steve Nash: Nets Must 'Decide What Kind of Team We Want to Be' Post-Pistons Loss
The Brooklyn Nets lost their third straight game Tuesday after falling 122-111 to the Detroit Pistons, who are tied for the league's worst win-loss record at 6-18.
After the game, Nets head coach Steve Nash spoke about his team's need to find an identity and play with more fire on a consistent basis.
"It's about personal pride...We have to decide what kind of team we want to be," Nash told reporters.
The Nets fell behind by as many as 20 points but cut the deficit to two after Kyrie Irving's three-pointer made it 79-77 with five minutes left in the third quarter. Nash spoke about the team turning it up a notch only after falling behind by 20:
However, the Pistons took over in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 14 points en route to a comfortable victory over the Nets, who fell to 14-12.
The Nets played without leading scorer Kevin Durant, who is in a seven-day quarantine due to the league's health and safety protocols. Nash said he can rejoin the team Friday.
Losing Durant is a tough blow for the team, which has lost its last two full games without him. Durant was also limited to 19 minutes in a defeat to the Toronto Raptors in which he was pulled from the starting lineup and later allowed to enter the game late before being pulled for good in the third quarter by the league.
However, the Nets defense has faltered with or without Durant.
Brooklyn has allowed the second-most points per game in the NBA, and the team ranked No. 27 in defensive rating before Tuesday's game, per Basketball Reference. Stat Muse noted that the Nets have allowed 120 or more points in seven straight games and 11 of their previous 12.
The good news is that the Nets are somehow fourth (by percentage points) in the 15-team Eastern Conference despite being just two games over .500. The bad news is that the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, who make up the top two teams in the conference, appear light-years ahead of where the Nets are right now.
The Nets will hope to get back on track Wednesday at home against the Indiana Pacers.
