The wait for Brooklyn’s first win continues.
The Nets fell to 0-6 after Sunday’s 129-105 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center, leaving them as the only winless team in the Eastern Conference and one of just two in the NBA.
It felt all too familiar for Brooklyn. The Nets showed signs of life early but couldn’t sustain it, undone once again by uneven effort and execution. Searching for a spark, head coach Jordi Fernández started 26-year-old Tyrese Martin at point guard over rookie Ben Saraf, and while the team showed more life early, it didn’t last.
Philadelphia, missing All-Star center Joel Embiid, erupted for 40 first-quarter points and shot 62.5% from the field, led by Kelly Oubre Jr.’s 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Brooklyn held its own offensively, with Ziaire Williams, Nic Claxton and Cam Thomas each scoring at least seven points, but still trailed by three entering the second quarter.
Rookies Egor Demin and Drake Powell both checked in with 4:30 left in the first quarter, with Powell logging his first minutes since opening night. Powell set the tone early with a strong finish in transition, and Demin picked up where he left off, drilling a 3-pointer from the top of the key before adding the first two-point basket of his career.
But then things took a turn for the worse when Powell appeared to roll his right ankle, the same one he injured in the season opener. He left with 5.7 seconds remaining in the first quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Fellow rookie Danny Wolf has yet to make his debut as he continues to recover from a left ankle sprain.
Adding to the setback, the Nets came apart in the second quarter. They shot just 30%, committed seven turnovers and gave up 52% shooting as Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe caught fire. The 76ers outscored Brooklyn 33-18 to take an 18-point lead into halftime.
The Nets trimmed the deficit to 10 with 2:26 left in the third quarter, but that was as close as they would get. Philadelphia quickly pushed the lead back to 19 early in the fourth, even with Oubre sidelined by a sprained ankle, and continued to build on it.
Brooklyn shot just 43.3% in the loss and committed 19 turnovers, leading to 20 points for the 76ers. Thomas led five Nets in double figures with 29 points, while Saraf, who had started five straight games, didn’t see the floor.
Oubre scored a game-high 29 points and Maxey chipped in 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists, with the 76ers shooting 52.1% overall. Ex-Net Trendon Watford added 16 points off the bench in his first game back in Brooklyn.
The Nets’ next chance to get in the win column comes Monday at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves, who will be without All-Star Anthony Edwards.
