3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets Mile High Loss to Denver Nuggets

Nets put up a good effort, put on a good show but the Nuggets had two future Hall of Famers and an actual bench.

Even with the Brooklyn Nets welcoming back Ben Simmons last night, they were still shorthanded in more ways than one.

Brooklyn didn’t just walk into the bout without their three leading scorers last night — they did so with a rebuilding agenda, wielding a rotation almost entirely comprised of developing youngsters and/or reclamation projects. That’s as big a disadvantage as any vs a title pursuant team like the Denver Nuggets.

It took two frames to take form, but Nikola Jokic and company eventually proved that theory, gagging the Nets with a 20+ point deficit early in the third. Tyrese Martin, Tosan Evbuomwan, and Day’Ron Sharpe tried to sneak a comeback narrative into this one’s final chapter, but Russell Westbrook stepped up and ripped those pages out during the game’s final minutes. Here’s what else transpired.

Tyrese Martin Isn’t Just a Fan Favorite, He’s a Threat

Tyrese Martin’s “who-the-heck-is-that-guy” performance in Phoenix earlier this year enshrined him as a legend in Nets folklore for at very least the next 5-10 years. His play of late, however, argues he’s becoming even more than that.

On that fateful night in the Valley of the Sun, Martin’s primary weapon was his 3-point shot, spraying Phoenix with an 8-of-10 night from beyond the arc. While he hasn’t been spamming that as often and efficiently as he did that night over the past two months, he’s kept the safety off, making it a consistent part of his game and Brooklyn’s offensive attack.

Martin shot 4-of-9 from downtown last night, flashing his ability to finish off catch-and-shoot looks for a second straight game. That remains a key attribute for any deadeye shooter in the modern NBA, especially those on contending teams. He’s shooting a crisp 40% from three on shots of that variation so far this season as well.

The two-way also showed poise navigating around the perimeter on more designed sets, at one point in the first throwing some variation of a ghost screen to free himself up for a deep one.

Those hits last night brought Martin’s 3-point percentage for the season up to 37.2% on 4.3 attempts per game. That’s not too shabby, especially for a guy on a team that lacks the offensive pressure to stretch out defenses and has four shot creators at best, all of whom have missed games in the past week.

He’s made strides with his ball-handling in pick-and-roll sequences and passing this year as well, but right now, Tyrese Martin is at the very least a damn good shooter.

The Fast Break is Here…and Might Stay a While

It was Freaky Friday in the Mile High City last night. The Denver Nuggets came into the game averaging the fifth most fast break points per game. Brooklyn did so averaging the second fewest. Nonetheless, the Nets were the transition tyrants, beating the Nuggets there by a 27-23 margin.

Once again, Ben Simmons’ return to the lineup put the fuel in Brooklyn’s break. His scoring disappeared after the first half, another thing we’ve grown accustomed to by now, but Ben10 looked spry early dishing and swishing several of Brooklyn’s 17 transition points at the break.

Their eventual 27-point transition tally represented a season-high for Brooklyn. Many came down to the Nets simply out-hustling Denver down the floor and occasionally for 50/50 balls — another win for Jordi Fernández in his quest to reestablish Brooklyn grit this year.

To play devil’s advocate, however, the Nuggets shudder one of the league’s worst defenses behind their mighty scoring prowess. They rank bottom-10 in transition points allowed this year and overall defensive efficiency. Both likely led to this victory within the loss.

At any other point in the year, I wouldn’t expect that to continue. But if Denver’s transition defense is a cardboard boat out at sea, those of Brooklyn’s next two opponents are like ones made out of tissue paper. The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers rank dead last in points given up there, arguing the Nets will have their running shoes on for the foreseeable future.

We’re In the Thick of It

When Cam Johnson danced on Ja Morant, Tyrese Martin outplayed Kevin goddamn Durant, and Dennis Schröder said “night night” to Steph Curry earlier this year, many began to ask when the Nets would really begin to tank. The early season fun had an expiration date. Everyone knew it — but didn’t know when it was.

Well, I’m here to tell you things have at long last soured.

I’d never accuse Jordi Fernández and the on-court Nets of losing on purpose. Fernández’s competitiveness especially has shined through even as the front office continues to blanket him with tank-heavy decisions — both with his words and his league-leading 27 challenges won on 38 attempts.

However, when you look at the losing that typically comes with a rebuild, it feels like we’re finally in those gloomy days we knew were sure to hit us at one point or another. Having dropped four in a row, the Nets now carry their longest losing streak of the season. Their losing margins in those games are 19, 15, 14, and 29 points, putting the team at a collective -77 this week. Look around you. Like it or not, we’ve made it to the basement.

With those games against Utah and Portland on deck, there lies a ladder for the Nets to climb back out of it, surely annoying the many tank commanders in the process. But even if they lose one of those two, you’ll be able to point to this week as the beginning of the end.