The NBA is a lot like nature. It’s a lot easier to be the hunter than to be hunted.
The Nets were reminded of that Sunday in Charlotte.
Brooklyn came flat and paid for it, stabbed 106-104 by the hungry Hornets for their first loss of the season.
Other than Kevin Durant (29 points) and Kyrie Irving (25), the Nets are not used to playing with a goal on their backs. But since their stars are both healthy and playful, Brooklyn might as well add a colorful rose to the back of their Basquiat-inspired sweaters.
“It is absolutely disappointing. … I think we could have played better. I know we could have played better, ”said Jarrett Allen. “I know we could have come out and had a lot more energy. I know we didn’t play optimally.
“Since we are in the position we have now with KD and Kyrie back and we are a full team, we will definitely have the goal behind every game. We are definitely going to get 100 percent of each team. So we have to get ready for it every time. “
The Nets were far from finished, after a sloppy first two quarters with an even worse third. They trailed 16 in the fourth, before a run of 18-4 brought them in second. But they didn’t get any closer.
“It’s good to have that target on your back,” Durant said. “It will get the best out of you.”
Durant missed a potential equalizing goal with just 7 seconds to go, and the Nets suffered their first loss of the season after outbursts from Golden State and Boston.
‘I do not think so [had] a sense of urgency. We were a bit passive, ”said coach Steve Nash. “We will have a target on our back, and we must seize the opportunity.
“You think you might be a better team, [but] you get a team that is much better than the night before because they see the names on the back of the jersey and they will go to the occasion. “
For a Nets team that used to be the fighter, that will require an attitude adjustment. They are in the rare position of being hunted, despite not having won anything yet.
“A Net all my life, it’s definitely something I’ll have to get used to,” Allen said. “No disrespect to us, but we were never the team at the top. We were always the underdogs fighting and targeting other people. And now the tables have turned. “
The Nets were outperformed in paint 64-26, partly due to some defensive breakdowns on switches and partly due to 19 turnovers that allowed Charlotte to get into transition and early attack. Spencer Dinwiddie left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter and never returned.
Still, the Nets were only 84-81 behind in the fourth when they gave up a 13-0 run, with a Miles Bridges step-back 3 making it 97-81 with 7:59 to play.
The Nets tried to rally, scoring 10 times in a row with a Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 3 pulling them in six.
The series reached 18-4 and Allen earned a trip to the line with 2:20 play. But after sinking the first, he missed the second to lower the Nets 101-99. Then Irving was blocked leading to a Devonte ‘Graham turn 3. The Nets were left with five and never got over the bump.
Another Luwawu-Cabarrot 3 took them in 104-102, and they had a chance after PJ Washington missed two free throws. Durant played a two-man game with Irving, had a shot at a dagger 3, but got a few dribbles and stopped from 10 feet away. His shot rolled around and out with 7.4 seconds to go.
Terry Rozier’s free throws ensured that there would be no OT.
‘I thought it was going in. It looked good, ”said Durant. “I am sure we will get that situation back all season and I can respond to it.
“It was good to be back in a game in the fourth quarter, playing a game that we had to fight uphill and claw back to get back into the game. … They made more plays than we did. But it was fun to play in that environment. “