NEW YORK _ The bickering that divided the Nets in their previous loss in Washington stopped, but their frustration continued to mount Monday night at Barclays Center. The Nets wasted a strong defensive effort when they allowed Utah to put together a dominant fourth quarter for a 101-89 victory.
Midway in the third quarter, the Nets led by nine, but Utah fought back to tie it at the end of three quarters and opened the fourth with a 19-8 run, including eight points by Rodney Hood for an 89-78 lead. Once again, the Nets were on the verge of imploding at crunch time.
Gritting their teeth on every possession, the Nets tried to dig in and pull it out. They got within five points on a Brook Lopez dunk that cut the Jazz lead to 91-86, but they couldn't get over the hump against the Jazz, who outscored them in the final period, 31-19.
Gordon Hayward led the Utah comeback with 30 points, and the Jazz (22-13) got 15 points each from Rudy Gobert (16 rebounds), Rodney Hood and Shelvin Mack. Trevor Booker topped the Nets (8-25), who lost for the eighth time in their past nine games, with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Lopez added 14 points, and Isaiah Whitehed had 12.
Following a 23-point blowout loss in their previous game in Washington, Nets guard Sean Kilpatrick said his teammates were bickering throughout that game and "did not play like a team at all." Coach Kenny Atkinson said there was a players-only meeting after that game to address the situation. In particular, the coach said he appreciated center Lopez taking a leadership role, though he generally prefers to lead by example.
"I look at this like a positive, especially Brook," Atkinson said. "I want him to be honest and open, and when he sees something, he has a great basketball IQ. He can really help these guys. So I think that's how we can help him grow. Especially with Jeremy [Lin] out, he can take that role.
"I felt like the other night it came from him. It was just natural. We need more of that. I like that he leads by example. But there are times when he's got to step up. I think it's a role he's capable of doing. There's no reason why not."
In the first half against the Jazz, it was Booker who looked as though he'd been shot out of a cannon. Working hard at both ends of the floor against his former team, he had nine points and seven rebounds when he crashed to the court near the end of the first quarter and had to limp off.
But Booker returned in good order in the second quarter and had his 11th double-double by halftime with 11 points and 10 rebounds as the Nets took a narrow 52-50 lead. The Nets' improved defensive effort was noticeable as they held the Jazz to 39.2 percent shooting in the first half.
In the third quarter, Booker blocked a Boris Diaw layup attempt from behind at the rim and then had six points during a 10-2 run that gave the Nets a 62-53 lead. But Utah responded with a 17-5 run, including 12 points from Hayward, to take a brief 70-67 lead. The Nets managed to tie it at 70 heading to the final quarter.
