Most teams that head to China for the preseason suffer a hangover to start the preseason. And the Nets definitely looked three sheets to the wind in their final tune-up.
After sweeping the Lakers in pair of preseason tilts in Shanghai and Shenzhen, the Nets came back to Brooklyn and got drilled 123-107 by the Raptors Friday.
“I told the guys in the locker room, I was a little disappointed,” Kenny Atkinson said. “We lost sight of our principles, our habits, all the things we have been working on. They kind of — poof — they kind of disappeared. So that concerned me.
“It was a breakdown of all the good things I’ve been saying all camp. Camp’s been great; the two games against the Lakers were really intact with what we’re doing, so I think when we get back to practice, we’ll get back to our core principles. You have to rewind a little bit.”
The game essentially marked Kyrie Irving’s Nets debut, having logged just a single minute in the preseason due to facial injuries. He had a game-high 19 points, but Brooklyn trailed by as much as 22 and clearly has work to do before Wednesday’s opener versus Minnesota.
“It felt good. I was happy to play the first game since May,” Irving said.
“They did a great job, Toronto, just stretching us on the 3-point line and they hit over 20 3s. Any NBA team that’s hitting over 20 3s is going to be successful out there on the offensive end. We’ve just got to get back to maintaining our principles, our system.”
Brooklyn strayed from those principles as it tried to incorporate Irving and new faces. They shot just 38.8 percent including 13-of-40 from deep. Far worse, a defense that protects the rim and denies 3-pointers did neither, letting Toronto drive at will and go 24-of-47 from 3.
“Defense, transition defense, guarding the ball, individual defense. I think it was just a cakewalk to the rim for them. They were in our paint all night,” Atkinson said. “Then we started sucking in and they started kicking out for 3s. The offense wasn’t great either, but we gave up 47 3s — that’s not how we play.”
The Nets finished 3-1 in the preseason, where results mean little. And frankly, this one probably shouldn’t be all that shocking, considering the jet lag from a 15-hour flight back and most of the Nets having to get used to new teammates.
After a facial fracture had cost him part of training camp and the preseason opener, Irving had lasted just a single minute in the Shanghai victory before getting hit in the face by Rajon Rondo. He didn’t return in that game and missed the Shenzhen win altogether.
But Irving made his Barclays Center debut on Friday, and the game’s first basket was also his first as a Net. He spun away from Fred VanVleet (16 points) and into the lane, hitting a pull-up jumper from the top of the key just 14 seconds in. But this wasn’t a banner night for Brooklyn.
Trailing just 40-39 after Rodions Kurucs’ 3-pointer, the Nets coughed up a 13-2 run. The spurt started with a 3 from Kyle Lowry and ended with another by VanVleet. The latter left Brooklyn in a 53-41 hole with 4:20 to play in the first half, and things just got worse from there.
The Nets fell behind by 18 late in the second quarter, and 101-79 on Norman Powell’s free throw with 1:58 in the third.
“We’re not going into the regular season too high,” said Jarrett Allen, who got the start over DeAndre Jordan in the preseason finale. “Getting a butt-whupping was good for us.”
Brooklyn waived guards Devin Cannady, CJ Massinburg and C.J. Williams and forward Lance Thomas. The roster now stands at 16 players.