NEW YORK _ The script is beginning to wear thin. The Nets fell into a deep first-half hole, just as they have done repeatedly during the 1-11 stretch in which they are mired. They cut a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit to nine but could get no closer in another yawner of a 114-101 loss to the Clippers on Monday night at Barclays Center.
After spending the first three quarters digging their own grave once again with a lackluster defensive effort, the Nets sprang to life early in the fourth quarter when D'Angelo Russell found his rhythm and scored 10 points in a 12-2 run that cut a 23-point Clippers lead to 94-81. The Nets finally cut the deficit to single digits when Joe Harris hit a nifty underhanded reverse layup plus a foul shot to get within 104-95 with 4:27 left.
But the Clippers scored the next six points, including a pair of drives to the rim by Austin Rivers, to drain the momentum from the Nets' surge. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, having seen enough, dug deep into his bench to insert Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, James Webb III and Isaiah Whitehead, giving up the ghost.
D'Angelo Russell and Joe Harris topped the Nets (19-39) with 16 points apiece, Allen Crabbe added 15, Spencer Dinwiddie had 13 and DeMarre Carroll contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lou Williams came off the bench to lead the Clippers (29-26) with 20 points, and they got 17 from Rivers along with 16 points and 17 rebounds from DeAndre Jordan.
The Clippers remade themselves at the NBA trade deadline, sending Blake Griffin to Detroit and receiving Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley in return. Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was impressed with the results.
"When I look at their starting lineup it's pretty scary how talented they are," Atkinson said. "They obviously made some moves ... I think they're impressive."
"We've just got to be better collectively all around, and we can't get into a 28-point hole, no way, against this team," Atkinson said. "They're too talented."
If there was a bright spot for the Nets, it was the continued hot-shooting of Allen Crabbe, who scored 13 first-half points and shot 5-for-8. "I love how assertive he's been lately," Atkinson said. "We have to encourage him to seek those shots out. If he gets 10 threes up a game, we're fine with that. We need him, we need his offense, we need his aggressiveness. And I'd say his defense is vastly improved."
