The Nets came out of the break the same way they went in: Decimated and defeated.
Opening the proverbial second half of the season Thursday, shorthanded Brooklyn got drilled 129-106 by Boston before a sellout crowd of 17,986 at Barclays Center.
But after Thursday’s defeat, they’ve stumbled even deeper into the play-in. Brooklyn — just 4-18 since Kevin Durant got hurt — is 2 ½ games behind seventh-place Toronto, whom they play a home-and-home against Monday and Tuesday of this coming week. “[We need] just continued growth,” coach Steve Nash had said of what he hopes is a healthier stretch run. “The effort, intensity, I thought our guys have really played hard. They’ve been extremely focused. They’ve come together under a lot of duress. A lot of teams in adverse situations pull apart. Our guys have come closer together. The spirit is outstanding, so more of the same. More of the same.