NEW YORK _ The Nets thought they had it rough when it was announced Monday they will be without injured starting point guard Jeremy Lin another three to five weeks. But the Spurs' manpower situation was far more dire with center Pau Gasol and point guard Tony Parker out with injuries plus star forward Kawhi Leonard resting a sore hand and Manu Ginobili resting because, well, he's approaching his 40th birthday.
The Spurs' personnel losses didn't matter, though, as they tacked another loss onto the Nets' NBA-worst 9-35 record via a 112-86 whipping Monday night at Barclays Center. Considering the Spurs' injury situation, this was worse than the 29-point beatdown the Nets suffered Dec. 10 in San Antonio.
Even though they knew the Spurs were gimpy coming into the game, the Nets knew better than to take anything for granted. As guard Spencer Dinwiddie said, "The Spurs are the Spurs regardless of who's hurt. I guess they're the Patriots of the NBA. They're a well-oiled machine, and they keep on going. No matter who they plug in, they're a great team."
To be fair, the Nets were missing more than just Lin. Joe Harris (foot) was inactive, and rookie Caris Levert, who is coming off foot surgery in February, was rested for the first time in his 23-game career. "He's played a lot of games in a short period of time," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I think with his total development and physical development, we have to be smart, and that's what we're doing with him. He'll be back for Miami (Wednesday night) ready to roll."
The two short-handed teams played a tight game for the better part of two quarters, but just before the end of the first half, the Spurs (35-9) put together a 13-4 run, including 10 points from Patty Mills, to take a 52-42 lead at the break. When former Knick David Lee opened the third quarter with two quick baskets, the Spurs just took over, leading by as much as 25 points in the period.
Mills led the Spurs with 20 points off their thin bench, and they got 16 from LaMarcus Aldridge, 15 from Lee, 14 from Kyle Anderson and 11 apiece from Davis Bertans and Jonathon Simmons. The Nets were paced by Isaiah Whitehead with 19 points, Sean Kilpatrick had 17 and 10 rebounds, Spencer Dinwiddie added 13, and they got 12 from Brook Lopez, but they made only five of 25 3-pointers compared to nine of 22 by the Spurs. Veteran Randy Foye started at two-guard but had only one point and four assists.
