An errant Joe Johnson pass sailed into the backcourt late in the third quarter of Wednesday night's game against the Celtics. Brook Lopez took two steps after the ball, then stopped to watch it roll.
Celtics forward Jae Crowder raced after the ball, eventually picking it up under the opposite basket and drawing a foul. So, instead of just a backcourt violation and a Boston inbounds, the Celtics earned a pair of free throws in the process.
That only was one play, but it was emblematic of the sluggish effort the Nets displayed from start to finish in a disappointing 89-81 loss at Barclays Center.
The loss was the third straight for the Nets (16-19) after getting to .500, a stretch that could come back to haunt them. After Friday's home game against the hopeless 76ers, the Nets play the Pistons in Detroit on Saturday, then face playoff teams in 10 of the 12 games following that.
If the Nets play anything like they did Wednesday against any of those teams, they will be lucky not to lose by 30. They started off hot, then simply fell apart against a Celtics team that is playing out the string and looking to trade off more players after finally dealing Rajon Rondo last month.
You would have thought the Nets were in the same situation. They barely managing to crack 40 percent shooting after falling short of that number the previous two games. That followed a telling comment Nets coach Lionel Hollins made before the game when asked about his team's recent success defensively.
"Is that because of our defense," Hollins said with a smile, "or because of our offense?"
Jarrett Jack makes a pass during the Nets' 89-81 loss to the Celtics Wednesday night at Barclays Center.Photo: Paul J. Bereswill
It was a valid point. While the Nets have played effective defense of late, their offense has been abysmal. They shot under 40 percent in losses to the Heat and Mavericks before shooting 40.5 percent overall and 21.4 percent (3-for-14) from 3-point range against the Celtics.
It had looked as if things were going to be different when a Jarrett Jack pull-up jumper gave the Nets a 30-19 lead early in the second quarter.
But the Celtics scored the final eight points of the first half, capped by an Evan Turner fastbreak layup created by another bad pass from Jack. Thet Nets went into the break with just a 40-39 lead.
Things didn't get any better. The Nets eventually fell behind by as many as nine late in the third quarter and went into the fourth trailing, 69-62, after allowing Boston to shoot 12-for-20 (60 percent) from the field and score 29 points in the third.
Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run to take a 12-point lead and never looked back, keeping the lead above double-digits for most of the remainder of the game.
Lopez's lack of hustle was only one of many lowlights for him in this one. After putting together one of his best games of the season Monday, finishing with 22 points and 13 rebounds against Dallas, he was horrendous against Boston, finishing with six points on 2-for-7 shooting to go with five rebounds in 16 minutes.
To make matters worse, the Nets lost Deron Williams after just three minutes when he aggravated the injury to his left side that he suffered against the Heat. That injury forced him to miss the game against the Mavericks.
Williams took himself out of the game in the second quarter, and after being looked at on the bench by trainer Tim Walsh, went to the locker room and never returned.
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