Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Thunder too much for Nets to handle in 3rd straight loss

From head coach Jacque Vaughn to general manager Sean Marks markedly up the chain of command, the endured wicked criticism following Friday’s distressing road loss to the . Much of that criticism was justified, to be fair. Despite an inspired start on offense, Brooklyn (15-18) still ended 2023 with a 124-108 loss on Sunday night in Oklahoma City. But the fight it showcased against the No. 2 team in the Western Conference was notable, and it was clear that the team wanted to shake at least some of its pessimistic narratives entering the new year. Brooklyn deserves some credit for that. The Nets went with a starting lineup of , , Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson and Nic Claxton for the second straight game and raced out to an 8-0 start — to the surprise of many. Then Bridges and Cam Thomas began to take charge. Bridges, who had failed to score at least 20 points in seven of his past 10 games entering the night, started 5-of-6 from the field and had 15 points after one quarter, his second-highest scoring quarter of the season. Thomas, who added 10 points in the opening period, came off the bench for the second straight game. That duo combined for 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting (4-of-4 from 3-point range) over the first 12 minutes of action. The Nets, who shot 61.9% as a team in the first quarter and went 6-of-10 from deep with just one turnover, entered the second up 36-33 and were squarely in business. The problem was, the Thunder shot 60% themselves and did not cool down much over the course of the evening. Oklahoma City took its first lead of the night with 11:43 left in the second quarter and wound up taking a 59-56 advantage into halftime. The third quarter is where the wheels began to fall off for the Nets. Bridges shot just 1-of-7 in the period, Thomas 0-of-2 in just over three minutes off the bench. The Nets, as a team, went 8-of-30 from the field and 2-of-15 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City stayed red-hot, outscoring the visitors 30-23 to take an 89-79 lead into the final frame. Brooklyn could not stop the bleeding. In the end, the true natures of both teams were revealed. Brooklyn had just seven total turnovers but allowed the Thunder to shoot 54.2% for the game with six players finishing in double figures. paced the home team with 24 points, four rebounds and six assists. Bridges finished with 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting and Thomas added 20 in 26 minutes. Brooklyn was outscored 16-9 in transition and went 20-of-31 from the free throw line. The Nets will continue their four-game road trip on Tuesday in New Orleans.