The Nets lost their fourth straight game on Saturday, falling to the Detroit Pistons 115-94 at Little Caesars Arena on the second night of a back-to-back set.
The Nets were once again plagued by a slow start at both ends of the court. They shot 1-for-8 from the field in the opening minutes and trailed 14-4 with 7:33 left in the first quarter. By then the damage was done.
Detroit shot 68.2% in the first quarter and led 39-22 entering the second. Malik Beasley outscored Brooklyn’s starters 14-5 in his first five minutes off the bench. Tyrese Martin kept the game respectable with 10 points off the bench.
For the visitors, things got worse before they improved. The Nets were outscored 68-45 in a first half where they shot just 28.6% from the field and committed nine turnovers. No starter scored more than five points in the first half. Cam Johnson shot 1-for-12 through two quarters. Keon Johnson went 0-for-6.
Brooklyn, to its credit, did turn 12 turnovers into nine points in the first half.
The Pistons were smart to do their work early, because Brooklyn came out swinging in the third quarter. The Nets limited Detroit to 26.3% shooting in the period, forced seven turnovers, and closed on a 14-2 run to cap a 30-13 frame. And just like that, it was an 81-75 game entering the fourth quarter. They trailed by as many as 25.
Detroit woke up and closed the night on a 34-19 run.
The Nets fell to 21-39 with the loss. They’re 1-10 without D’Angelo Russell this season.
Martin led all scorers with 23 points off the bench. Cam Johnson finished with 13 points and did it on an abysmal 3-for-20 clip. The Nets turned it over 14 times, committed just five in the second half, but ultimately shot 30/5% as a team. They surrendered 52 points in the paint.
Beasley, Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris paced Detroit with 18 points each. The Pistons won handedly despite 27 turnovers.
The Nets will return to action on Tuesday against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.