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Nets rebuild fails to keep pace with up-and-coming Magic
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Nets rebuild fails to keep pace with up-and-coming Magic

ORLANDO — The Nets are just starting their own destruction and tanking.

On Friday, they took a closer look at what the rebuild should look like.

And the Nets’ only hope is that this one goes somewhere close.

The Nets lost 116-101 to Orlando before a sold-out crowd of 19,087 at the Amway Center.

Cam Thomas takes a shot between Paolo Banchero (left) and Jalen Suggs during the Nets’ loss. Reuters Con via USA TODAY Sports

“Of course, of course. Everybody wants to be in a position where they can play for a championship,” Jalen Wilson said. “Orlando was in a phase where they were young and they lost a lot of games. The same guys are back and getting better.

“So you see the process. We just have to believe it, keep working, keep showing up even when there are tough days. And that’s actually part of the process.”

Brooklyn fell to 0-2 and prepared to host the Bucks in Sunday’s home opener.

Taking a two-point lead in the third quarter, the Nets’ offense, which had been inconsistent throughout the evening, became ice cold.

A scoreless drought lasting more than three minutes and a 13-0 Magic run put the Nets in a hole from which they would never recover.

They shot 42.2 percent overall.

He is expected to compete for 50 wins behind Orlando’s two best players, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, who are just 22 and 21 years old.

Wagner had 29 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and Banchero had 15 points and 9 assists.

Moritz Wagner, who had a great night off the bench, takes a hard hit on Cam Thomas (right) as Ben Simmons watches during the Nets’ loss. Mike Watters-Imagn Images

“(Banchero is good at everything). He’s a very good player. You know, he can handle, he can set screens, he can handle screens, he can post up, he can ISO, his three-point shot is good enough. “He can play fast,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “It’s the whole package. This is a good challenge for us because we will try different things.

“There was Trae (Young) there the other day, a smaller guard type. And now we see a train coming to you very quickly and you must try to stop it.

And of course you can’t stop a train alone. You need the whole team.”

Franz Wagner takes a shot at Cam Johnson during the Nets’ loss. NBAE via Getty Images

Meanwhile, Nets guard Cam Thomas scored a team-high 24 points but once again enjoyed garbage time.

After 20 of his 36 points in Wednesday’s season-opening loss came in the fourth quarter, Jalen Suggs two nights later went 7-of-7 with 5 points in the first half defended by Anthony Black and Kentavation Caldwell-Pope. exploded at 12 in the fourth.

Dennis Schroder and Ben Simmons cleaned up their passing a bit after committing 11 turnovers against the Hawks.

On a night when the Nets lost badly, Schröder reached plus-6 with 20 points, 6 assists and only 2 turnovers.

In the match where the Nets lost, Cam Thomas was defended by Wendell Carter. Mike Watters-Imagn Images

But Simmons was minus-17 with five fouls in a game that saw center Nic Claxton come off the bench with limited minutes and reserve Day’Ron Sharpe sidelined entirely.

It turned out to be expensive.

The Nets started slowly, as they did in their opening loss in Atlanta.

But they closed the first half on a 15-6 run (including 12 unanswered) to get back into the game.

They entered the locker room trailing 49-46.

Simmons made it three straight to open the first half to give Orlando a 7-0 personal lead.

The third was initially called an offensive foul, but Fernandez’s tackle was reversed as a foul on Banchero.

Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket during the game against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on October 25, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. NBAE via Getty Images

With 10:39 left in the third quarter, the Nets were ahead 53-49.

However, the Nets, who took the lead 65-63 with Thomas’s shot, lost momentum.

Gary Harris’ three-pointer put them in a 76-65 hole from which they never recovered, conceding 13 unanswered field goals by Orlando.

Some stupid fouls sent Simmons to the bench.

And they were ill-advised, as Claxton’s minutes restriction and Sharpe’s absence left Brooklyn devastated in the frontcourt.

After a fairly clean first half, the Nets committed eight turnovers in the third quarter, giving the Magic 15 points.

Nets closed the third quarter ahead 32-25 and did not challenge their opponent at the end of the fourth quarter.