Turnovers send Nets into disarray in rough preseason loss to 76ers
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
It’s preseason. It’s all about experimentation and precaution as the Nets found out Wednesday night in Philadelphia. There was no embrace between the 76ers and Nets tonight in the City of Brotherly Love — both on the court and in terms of the scoreboard.
In what was the teams’ third tune-up game, exactly one week from the start of the regular season, Brooklyn and Philly operated like two equal magnets tonight. Philly stayed in front for almost the entire game, and while the Nets stayed right behind them, each time they made an effort to get close, that seemed to only shoot the 76ers further away.
That charade continued on until early in the fourth quarter when the Nets ran out of steam, even despite the presence of their starting five.
Final: Brooklyn Nets 95, Philadelphia 76ers 117
While this contest ended in a rather uneventful manner, it opened with two trigger-happy teams certain to delight any modern hoops fan. Threes went up early and often in this contest as both the Nets and Sixers came out firing, hoisting up 23 first quarter attempts from beyond the arc.
Brooklyn orchestrated a number of different pin-down actions to ignite their long-range guided missile system. Others were created merely out of a noticeable willingness by everyone to share the rock on the floor...
making the extra pass for a Cam J triple pic.twitter.com/hHJvVy9zl5— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 16, 2024
Tyrese Maxey instead got his by doing Tyrese Maxey things.
Just a casual stepback triple from Tyrese Maxey, no biggie. pic.twitter.com/KCwdy4N6xv— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 16, 2024
Nonetheless, it was Philly’s defense and eagerness to get out in transition that helped them carve out a 33-22 lead from this first quarter shootout. In Brooklyn’s third preseason installment, the script was flipped on them. The Nets have been active in forcing giveaways and pushing for fast break buckets in their first two games. Tonight, it was Philly who poked, pried away, and jammed the ball through the rim at the other end.
Brooklyn turned it over eight times in the first as the home team went on a 21-6 run midway through the frame. For the game, they ended up with 20 turnovers, five less than what the 76ers had.
“We went from two true point guards to one, that showed, and then taking care of the ball,” said Fernández postgame. “But the reality is our true point guard Dennis [Schröder] had five turnovers. So obviously we cannot afford for him to play like this cause he’s a really, really good playmaker. He’s a floor general. He does the right thing, so we have to be better”
Jordi Fernandez on the Nets’ 20 turnovers tonight:“The reality is our true point guard Dennis Schroeder had five turnovers. So obviously we cannot afford for him to play like this.” pic.twitter.com/7dyxqZng49— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) October 17, 2024
Also new for the Nets tonight was their starting five. With Ben Simmons sitting one out, Jordi Fernández opted to go with Dennis Schröder, Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Noah Clowney.
Jalen Wilson and Ziaire Williams were first off the bench, coming in around the six minute mark of the first. A few minutes later, they were followed by Keon Johnson, Shake Milton, and Tyrese Martin.
Once those reserves took the floor, Brooklyn’s offense took an understandable, yet still disappointing step back. Despite his giveaways, without Schröder on the floor, the Nets struggled in the second and essentially at all other points tonight.
As the backup point man, Keon Johnson had success getting penetration at the top of the key, but didn’t have the scoring or passing prowess to generate offense after. Then when the Nets did manage to get themselves good looks, driving and kicking against an aggressive Philly defense, they failed to cash in more often than not.
Jalen Wilson did turn on direct deposit for a few sequences here and there, tying a handful of other players for the most triples of anyone tonight after going 3-6 from deep. He splashed two of those in early quarter two. Not long after, Dorian Finney-Smith nailed one and Shake Milton showed Caleb Martin he’s been drinking his milk (no pun intended), cutting Brooklyn’s deficit to four.
AND-1 @SniperShake pic.twitter.com/gHz1hdC2ZQ— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) October 16, 2024
It was a fun burst, but a short lived one. Once Schröder returned to the bench in the second, Brooklyn’s free-flowing offense followed. Philly quickly re-inflated its lead and trotted into halftime up 62-56. Finney-Smith throwing pick six in the half’s waning seconds made the deficit two points deeper than it should have been.
GUERSCHON‼️ pic.twitter.com/8T3bgzMutc— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) October 17, 2024
Brooklyn’s stumbling into halftime had them still staggering out of it. On the opening possession, Dennis missed a bunny and then Noah Clowney missed a closeout allowing an open Philly triple. Fernández called a timeout after just 19 seconds, then had words for Clowney right after.
But after Fernández got hot, Philly started to cool. The Sixers missed their own fair share of good looks to open the third, once more leaving a crack in the door for the Nets.
Brooklyn crept through it momentarily running some smoother offense with Schröder. Dicing up Philly’s 2-3 zone, he and the Nets got it to one point, but never broke through the glass.
You don’t often find veterans on the floor during the fourth quarter preseason games, but that’s exactly what Brooklyn provided in the subsequent frame. Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schröder both checked in to begin the last period. That didn’t make a difference, however, as the Sixers opened up that final period with a 12-5 burst.
Fernández, deaf to any bell, countered by putting his full starting lineup in with about nine to go. Still, Philadelphia managed to keep its distance even with Nick Nurse sticking to preseason customs and leaving his deep reserves in. The Sixers didn’t just protect their lead, they fattened it, going up by 18 with 6:32 to play.
Unable to make a dent with his starters, Fernández slowly but surely extended the white flag from behind his bench. He took the starters out bit by bit, leaving Thomas and Finney-Smith in the longest, who played as late as the 4:39 mark of the fourth.
Aside from the contest at hand, Noah Clowney vs Andre Drummond proved to be the most entertaining part of the night. Drum ultimately got the best of his Brooklyn big man descendant, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds, a steal, and a block after just 13 minutes of burn.
In most sequences that Clowney lost, he did everything right, other than be 70 pounds lighter than Drummond. Nonetheless, size still matters in the league, especially at the five, and Drummond made sure Clowney knew that tonight.
Andre Drummond hit Noah Clowney with the "too small" pic.twitter.com/EPEoQJJTZE— Liberty Ballers (@Liberty_Ballers) October 17, 2024
Jordi Fernández instead made it clear that he believes its not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters in the end.
Fernández on how Clowney dealt w/ Drummond: “I think he did not fight hard enough. Obviously it’s a great learning experience…There’s technicalities like how you front somebody, how you push him out. It’s definitely a challenge. But I would’ve liked to see a better fight.” #nets— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) October 17, 2024
Outside of Drummond, it was Kelly Oubre Jr. who led the way for Philly. It was sails up for Tsunami Papi, who tallied a game-high 18 points after shooting 5-8 from the field. Son of legendary Net Kenyon Martin, KJ Martin, also enjoyed a fine evening, collaborating with 12 points, two assists, six rebounds, and a steal.
For the Nets, Thomas led in the scoring department with 17 points while shooting 5-13 from the field. He also came away with a rebound, steal, and dished two assists.
While Schröder was important for offensive flow, it wasn’t the most polished night for him, shooting just 3-of-11 from the field, adding nine points, four assists, and the aforementioned five turnovers. His fellow journeyman guard (despite his young age), Shake Milton, was the best off the bench, dropping 13 points and three assists after shooting 5-9 from the field.
Dariq Whitehead Update
Evan Barnes of Newsday spoke with Dariq Whitehead and the Nets first round pick from last season tried to paint an upbeat story of where he stands following his third foot/ankle surgery in last three years, but noted things are going to take some time. Whitehead has been at the end of Jordi Fernandez’s preseason rotation where he’s likely to spend whatever time he gets in Brooklyn.
Barnes also suggested that the Newark native and Duke product will once again play in Long Island as he did last season when he played two games in Brooklyn and 13 out on the Island. He’s played just 20 minutes so far in preseason after a rough Summer League.
“Right now, it’s more so just making sure I’m doing the right things I need to do with the team in order to be able to be out there and help the guys,” Whitehead said Wednesday. “I feel like that’s a part of me trusting my body, which is a good thing.”
“If you take the right shots, at the end of the day, they’re going to go in,” coach Jordi Fernandez said about Whitehead. “So you have to control the controllables. It’s not just shooting the ball, but it’s taking the right shots, but also, doing the right things defensively.”
And of course, this is the first healthy organized basketball he’s played in like two years, as one insider put it. The road back from surgeries in August 2022 (broken right foot,) June 2023 (bone-grafting on that same foot,) and January 2024 (stress reaction to his left shin) is long. He remains one of the league’s 20 or so youngest players and he still has three more years on his rookie contract.
Next Up
Brooklyn’s preseason finale will take them back to the Barclays Center as the Nets plan to host the Toronto Raptors. The Raps were one of the few teams Brooklyn was able to beat up on last year, finishing with a 3-1 record against them during the regular season.
The game is scheduled for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET. YES Network is expected to be on the call.
Box Score: Philadelphia 76ers 117, Brooklyn Nets 95 - NBA
Game Highlights: Philadelphia 76ers 117, Brooklyn Nets 95 (Video) - NBA
Young Nets big man gets taught lesson by veteran 76ers center - Brian Lewis - New York Post
Nets undone in no good, ugly preseason night: ‘Gotta do better’ - Brian Lewis - New York Post
Nets’ Dariq Whitehead working to move up in pecking order as he returns from injury ($) - Evan Barnes - Newsday
Nets’ Noah Clowney’s physicality was put to the test in 117-95 preseason loss to 76ers ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
Nets Notebook: Noah Clowney starts third preseason game in place of Ben Simmons ($) - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
Jordi Fernandez calls out several Nets after blowout loss to 76ers - Erik Slater - Clutch Points
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings