Nets Collapse After Strong Start in Loss to Pistons

The Brooklyn Nets suffered another disappointing loss Friday night, falling 110-94 to the Detroit Pistons at Barclays Center in their Emirates NBA Cup opener. After getting off to a strong start and taking a seven-point lead into the second quarter, Brooklyn completely lost its momentum, getting outscored by 33 points over the next two quarters before making a late push in the fourth.

The Nets entered the matchup without second-year guard Egor Dëmin, who was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right leg following Tuesday's overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. Brooklyn announced that Dëmin would be reevaluated in one week, meaning he is expected to miss at least the next four games.

With Dëmin sidelined, Chaney Johnson received his second career start and first of the season, joining Nolan Traoré, Michael Porter Jr., Julius Randle, and Day’Ron Sharpe in Brooklyn's starting lineup. Keon Ellis came off the bench despite being the anticipated replacement in the starting five.

Brooklyn looked sharp early, opening the game with an 8-0 run behind Porter, Randle, and Johnson. Johnson made an immediate impact on both ends, scoring on a fast-break dunk following a steal before later chasing down Duncan Robinson for a terrific transition block.

The Nets continued to build their advantage throughout the opening quarter, getting productive minutes from Mo Wagner, who scored eight points in the period. Randle also knocked down a pair of three-pointers as Brooklyn took a 28-21 lead into the second.

However, things quickly went downhill for the home team.

Brooklyn extended its advantage to 10 points early in the second quarter, its largest lead of the season, following a pair of free throws from Randle. Detroit responded with a run of its own, though, taking advantage of Brooklyn's defensive struggles and a hot shooting stretch from Robinson.

The Pistons eventually took their first lead of the night with back-to-back trips to the free-throw line from Robinson. Although Porter briefly put Brooklyn back in front with a three-pointer, Detroit closed the half on an 18-7 run to take a 56-49 advantage into the locker room. The Pistons outscored the Nets 35-21 in the second quarter, with Robinson leading the way with 12 first-half points.

Unfortunately, the third quarter was even worse for Brooklyn.

Detroit continued to pull away after halftime, with its lead quickly growing into double digits. Randle briefly stopped the bleeding with a three-pointer, and Brooklyn got consecutive baskets from Traoré and Johnson to cut the deficit to six.

That would be as close as the Nets would get.

Cade Cunningham took control, scoring at all three levels as Detroit continued to pull away. Ron Holland also caught fire late in the quarter, scoring 12 consecutive points for Detroit and giving the Pistons an insurmountable advantage. Detroit won the third quarter 36-17, putting Brooklyn in an extremely difficult position heading into the final 12 minutes.

The Nets showed some life in the fourth, outscoring Detroit 28-18. Mikel Brown Jr. provided a spark with a steal and fast-break dunk before adding a floater and getting to the free-throw line. Wagner also continued his productive night, while Danny Wolf knocked down three three-pointers in the period.

Terance Mann, making his season debut, also got on the scoreboard with a fast-break layup following a steal. However, the comeback effort was far too little, far too late, as Brooklyn ultimately fell by 16.

Cunningham finished with 20 points to lead Detroit, while Holland added 18 points and four steals. Robinson contributed 17 points and three steals, and Ausar Thompson finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals.

Wagner was Brooklyn's leading scorer with 16 points and eight rebounds. Randle finished with 15 points and eight rebounds but struggled shooting the basketball, going just 4-of-13 from the field while committing five turnovers. Porter added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Brown recorded 10 points and four assists.

Brooklyn simply couldn't sustain its defensive intensity throughout the night. The Nets showed what they were capable of during the first quarter and again in the fourth, but their second and third-quarter performances were simply not good enough. Detroit consistently found open looks, generated transition opportunities, and took advantage of Brooklyn's defensive breakdowns.

The loss drops the Nets to 0-1 in NBA Cup play, with a minus-16-point differential in Group Play.

Brooklyn will look to bounce back Sunday when it travels to Indiana to face the Pacers at 5 p.m. ET. The Nets will have another difficult challenge ahead, as Indiana handed them a 136-109 loss in Brooklyn just last Sunday.