On Jan. 8, the Nets lost 109-121 at home to the Bucks, losing four of their last five games. Durant had 29 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, harden was in poor form and 6 of 15 shooting, with 15 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, and five turnovers. The Nets' record against the top four teams in the East and West this season has become 0-8. Are the Nets, who are favorites to win the championship, a pseudo-strong team?
Alphabet Brother once again stuck to the Nets, he had 31 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, and Middleton had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Portis was in excellent form and had 25 points and 12 rebounds. Matthews, whose contract became fully secure, was brilliant, with 12 points and seven rebounds. Hood also made a contribution on the bench, scoring 10 points and 2 steals.
The Bucks took the initiative from the first quarter, winning 29-21 in the first quarter, 31-28 in the second quarter and 38-31 in the third quarter. The Bucks were already 18 points ahead of 111-93 with 6:25 left in the fourth quarter and the game turned garbage time. Nets coach Nash conceded defeat early and removed all of his main players. The Bucks then relaxed a bit, allowing the Nets to chase back some of the score.
The Nets lost to the big teams again, and this season's Nets have become a typical team that is bullying soft and afraid of hard. Let's take a look at the record of the top four teams in the East and West against the Nets .
Suns vs Nets: 1-0 (113-107)
Warriors vs Nets: 1-0 (117-99)
Jazz vs Nets: 0-0
Grizzlies vs Nets: 1-0 (118-104)
Bulls vs Nets: 2-0 (118-95, 111-107)
Bucks vs Nets: 2-0 (127-104, 121-109)
Heat vs Nets: 1-0 (106-93)
The Nets were firmly held back in the East by the Bulls, Bucks and Heat, especially against the Bucks, losing by 23 points the first time and 12 points the second, both of which were big losses in a row. Although the Nets have a big three, the Nets Big Three have not been ground into a composite, and Irving has become an uncertain factor. If New York's epidemic prevention policy remains unchanged, Irving can't play the home game in the playoffs, what will the Nets take to compete with the three giants in the East?
In this game, Harden was in a slump, and Nash defended him: "I don't know if James (Harden) feels tired, but he was allowed not to be in his best form on certain nights and I believe him. "Obviously, the Nets' loss is not Harden's problem alone, and the team is really not tough enough against strong teams this season.