3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets’ pair of losses in Los Angeles

Which is worse? Losing in a blowout or losing by one? A time honored question … and one Nets fans can answer.

This year’s Battle Los Angeles saw the Brooklyn Nets endure the lowest of lows and the highest of highs — at least from a competitive sense.

We all know what happened on Wednesday by now. If you didn’t tune in for what was the worst statistical loss in Nets history, you sure as hell heard about it from your friends or on social media. Round of applause for our own Lucas Kaplan who kept the good vibes flowing on X even amid the beatdown.

I personally shut that game off at the ripe hour of one in the morning, recited Andy Dwyer’s line after shoe-shinning Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation, and hit the sack.

Brooklyn’s bout with the purple-and-gold gave us more to stay up for. The Nets went from their largest losing margin ever to the smallest our game offers. D’Angelo Russell flirted with revenge — but chose not to ruin the Friday nights for all the tank commanders out there.

The Cali trip ultimately gave way to two losses, just at different prices. Here’s what we learned.

Live by It, Die by It

The largest discrepancies between Brooklyn’s Los Angeles games, other than the losing margins of course, lied beyond the 3-point arc.

Against the Clippers, the Nets hoisted their fewest 3-point attempts in a game all season. Given Jordi Fernández’s fascination with the long ball, it should come as no surprise that that failure led to such a colossal one on the scoreboard.

Things ticked up against the Lakers, as the Nets put up 10 more shots from range on Friday night compared to Wednesday. Their efficiency skyrocketed as well, with Brooklyn hitting at a 44.7% clip, good for their sixth best mark in a game all season. Russell’s return to the lineup and his 5-10 mark from the game largely contributed to that turnaround.

Efficient shooting translates to a highly functioning offense which often equals a win, or at least almost a win in Brooklyn’s case last night. That’s simple mathematics most hoop watchers understand.

Nonetheless, the Nets’ reliance on the triple and its iron grip on their winning chances each night was spotlighted above all else in the City of Angels.

Ziaire’s Return has been Promising

Whatever Ziaire Williams ended up paying D’Angelo Russell to give him No. 1 was beyond worth it.

Since switching jerseys and coming back from his knee injury, Williams has averaged 12.1 points, 2.1 assists, 5.3 boards, and 1.1 steals per game. More importantly, he’s posting .442/.408 splits on 5.3 3-point attempts per game. Efficient shooting from deep has long evaded the young gun but now appears present.

For the most part, that’s continued over these past two games. Like most Nets, Wednesday was a wash for ZDub, though he did pick away two steals to go with his four points. But at the Crypt, he finished with a solid 15/3/4 after shooting 3-9 from the field.

That’s not enough to nominate Williams as an offensive focal point for the team going forward or even a solidified piece for the Nets to hold onto when they actually want to win. But at the tail end of a week that included a 59-point loss, you have to take little wins when you can. This is one of those.

Tank On, Okay

Two more losses makes it 10 for Brooklyn in their last dozen. With one being of a historic margin, moving to capture the Flagg has never looked more enticing. It won’t get easier either. Brooklyn’s next four opponents have a combined .595 winning percentage.

But even from a competitive basketball standpoint, this doesn’t mean it has to be the dreary picture we often paint in our heads when we say “tanking.”

For one, the playing to develop rather than win means you get a more fluid rotation and with that, more chances to watch different guys hoop. Tosan Evbuomwan’s been the most notable beneficiary of that, logging his fifth double-digit scoring night in six tries yesterday.

With the Brit leading the charge, the Nets obliterated the Lakers in bench points last night, beating them by a 49-12 margin. Brooklyn also tallied 43 points off the bench vs the Clippers too, giving them perhaps their only positive figure of the night.

Prioritizing development also invites bench players and starters alike to experiment and further round out their games. That means more triples from Day’Ron Sharpe and perhaps Nic Claxton. Day’Ron pulled one against the Clippers. He and Claxton have both already reached career-highs in 3-point attempts for a season.

Winning basketball is always the goal, but sometimes that’s done over time through developmental seasons like this. That’s what the Nets seem to be after here and as a result, we’ll get to see the guys do some things we normally wouldn’t. There lies some entertainment value.