The Brooklyn Nets were feeling good about themselves early during their home matchup against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon. However, the Nets allowed Detroit to go on a late run and steal a 106-92 win. Cam Johnson led Brooklyn with a promising 26 points, but in the end, it was not enough. Here are the two thorns that led to the Nets' defeat.
1. The Nets got outworked on the boards
Brooklyn finished the game with just 27 total rebounds, 20 less than Detroit's 47 mark. As a result, the Pistons got more possessions and more chances to score. One big reason for Detroit's rebounding success was the eruption of third-year center Jalen Duren.
Duren pestered the Nets in the paint, grabbing a game-high 17 rebounds along with 13 points. Brooklyn had trouble boxing Duren out, and he took advantage of it. But Duren was not the only problem the Nets dealt with.
Fourth-year forward Simone Fontecchio totaled eight rebounds. His was Detroit's second-highest rebounder on the afternoon, and he still amassed more than Brooklyn's leading rebounder: Ben Simmons, who amassed six.
Brooklyn needs to make sure they clean things up on the boards if they want a greater chance to win.
2. Shots at the stripe
The Pistons outshot the Nets at the free throw line, shooting 80.8 percent (21-for-26) over Brooklyn's 61.3 (19-for-31) mark. Had the Nets made at least 10 more of their attempts, their margin of loss would have only been four.
Brooklyn's lackluster free throw shooting is uncharacteristic. They rank in the top half of the league in shooting percentage at the stripe. But on Sunday, they struggled, and it was part of the reason they could not hang around late in the game.
The Nets will be sure to improve upon Sunday's outing as they fight to get back above the .500 mark.
A promising bright spot
Cam Johnson started the game out hot and cooled down. His 26 points came off a lowly 25 percent (3-for-12) on his three-pointers. Still, his performance is a promising sign on a day where Cam Thomas and Dennis Schroder stuggled. Thomas finished with 17 points, while, Schroder ended with seven.
The Nets have the pieces to string together wins, as they showed during their impressive two-game winning streak going into Sunday's contest. Yet, Jordi Fernandez will have to get back together with the team to address their woes.