Jordi Fernandez and his squad the Brooklyn Nets came to their home game against the Milwaukee Bucks with three full days of rest.
It looked liked they were the better energized team but only in the first 42 minutes as the Nets allowed their visitors to make a run and steal the game from them, 113-118.
Fernandez, in his first season as an NBA coach, pointed to the team’s effort in the last six minutes as the reason behind the loss.
The reality is, in the last three minutes of the third and the last six minutes of the game, it was a minus-19 for us. Our defense was atrocious. And if our guys who wear a Brooklyn Nets jersey don’t play harder defense, they don’t have a place in our roster. And they know it. They take pride on defense. … So that’s how you lose games in the NBA. We didn’t guard anybody in the last three minutes, last six minutes; last three of the third, last six in the fourth.
The Nets were indeed in control in the second half. They were even able to build a double digit lead late in the third quarter.
They were up by two possessions with five minutes remaining in the fourth but the Bucks were able to erase that little by little through multiple threes from bench players Bobby Portis and Khris Middleton.
And then Giannis Antetokounmpo happened.
Jordi Fernandez admits mistake in handling Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak posted his usual numbers of 34 and 11 but it was in the fourth quarter when he wreaked havoc.
He made accurate passes, played defense (even blocked Dennis Schroder’s shot that could have flipped the result of the game), and made crucial dunks.
Fernandez takes responsibility for allowing Antetokounmpo to make his own run.
“No. 1 thing: My mistake of keep doubling Giannis,” Fernandez said post-game.
“Towards the end when we had a two-possession game, probably we had to stay home and try to guard one-on-one. I don’t know if we could, but at that point probably that would’ve been the best thing to do. So I take responsibility for that; [it] opened up the 3-point line, and they made them.”
Schroder led the way for the Nets with 34 points and 11 assists while Cameron Johnson also had himself a night with 26 points.
The Nets will now have another lengthy rest – four days – before they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
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