Sure, Michael Porter Jr. played on Tuesday after resting the previous day, shooting 7-of-14 to score 19 points, but the two main heroes of Saturday\u2019s comeback victory sat: Day\u2019Ron Sharpe with a thumb injury, and Ziaire Williams with illness. But let\u2019s not question the severity of those ailments; let\u2019s instead look at the bench lineup Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez deployed vs. Detroit\u2026<\/p>\n
The Nets are very bad, by design. Now 17-48, they will likely finish with the fourth-worst record in the league, if not higher. But do they know how to tank, and are they willing to get as shameless as some of the other bottom-dwellers? It appears the answer is no.<\/p>\n
Anyway, the game. Despite the Pistons playing on cruise control for all 48 minutes, we did have some character in this one, some sign that the Nets were playing for something slightly more than fulfilling contractual obligations. Josh Minott played 21 minutes, his career-high as a Net, scoring nine points on eight shots, the most memorable of which was this poster\u2026<\/p>\n
In the span of 15 seconds in the second quarter, Nolan Traore committed a flagrant foul against Ron Holland, then Noah Clowney received a technical foul for another infraction against Holland\u2026who in turn received a technical foul for flopping.<\/p>\n
Among the real positives (of which, in a tanking season, there tend to be even as the blowout losses pile up) was Ben Saraf. The #26 overall pick put up 10\/2\/6 on 2-of-2 shooting and 6-of-6 from the line, and while Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez admonished him for his two early turnovers, Saraf showed some of the ball-handling poise we\u2019ve been waiting to see from him all season\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though sometimes he\u2019ll make a mistake, he\u2019s got to go back, do it again, and learn,\u201d said Fern\u00e1ndez of the lefty point guard postgame.<\/p>\n
Two-way player Chaney Johnson got his first extended run with the big-league club, playing 22 minutes and shooting 2-of-3, including a corner trey. Drake Powell, making his second consecutive start, hit a pair of triples in the third quarter as well as a nice floater off a drive. For a player just re-called from the G League, it certainly could have been worse, as he finished with 10\/0\/1 in his 23 minutes of play.<\/p>\n
Jalen Wilson and Danny Wolf also reached double-digit points, while Nic Claxton shot just 0-of-2, overwhelmed by Jalen Duren and his game-high 26 points.<\/p>\n
Postgame I projected my own feelings onto Wilson, who has been on three very bad Nets teams thus far in his career and experienced only a few stretches of sunlight, and asked him if he yearns for brighter days in the midst of such consistent losing.<\/p>\n
The response: \u201cI think my mindset and the team\u2019s as well, from what we know, is just taking it game by game. Of course, we all want to win, but when we was starting out, you know, the next game we played, we had to start those habits. It\u2019s not just going to come in the blink of an eye, and people aren\u2019t just going to let us win the NBA. Everybody\u2019s good. And we have to take advantage of the games we have now, this season. If we want to look forward, it has to start now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now that\u2019s a professional answer. Indeed, it does have to start now for the Brooklyn Nets. For the time being, that means continuing to rack up the losses.<\/p>\n
It was 70\u00ba in Brooklyn today. Spring is almost here.<\/p>\n
Final Score: Detroit Pistons 138, Brooklyn Nets 100<\/p>\n
Three Nets made the injury report on Tuesday evening: Egor D\u00ebmin, of course shut down with season-ending plantar fasciitis, Ziaire Williams, stricken with illness, and Day\u2019Ron Sharpe, out with a left thumb sprain.<\/p>\n
Pregame, Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez said that there was no timeline for Sharpe to return from his thumb sprain, only \u201cwhatever time it takes for him to feel good to play again.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/gettyimages-2265340049.jpg\"\/)
<\/a><\/p>\n