Nets still can’t beat Magic as struggles against East deepen

· New York Post

The Nets continued their incompetence against the East. And their misery against the Magic.

Brookly suffered a 100-92 loss to Orlando before a crowd of 16,505 at Barclays Center on Sunday.

The defeat dropped the Nets to 9-12.

It also marked their fifth straight loss to the Magic and saw them fall to 3-11 against the Eastern Conference, not exactly packed with powerhouses other than Boston or Cleveland.

Dennis Schroder #17 of the Nets makes a basket over Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic during a regular season matchup at Barclays Center on Dec.1, 2024. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Cameron Johnson of the Nets makes shot over Moritz Wagner #21 of the Orlando Magic during a regular season matchup at Barclays Center. Michelle Farsi/New York Post

Granted, Brooklyn was shorthanded, playing without missing leading scorer Cam Thomas (hamstring), plus-minus leader Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) and key frontcourt reserves Noah Clowney and Day’Ron Sharpe.

That showed up on the boards.

The Nets got hammered 52-33 on the glass and outscored 53-38 in the paint.

Cam Johnson scored a team-high 25 points and Dennis Schroder added 20 and seven assists in his return from personal leave.

But it wasn’t enough to overcome their deficiencies in the paint and on the boards. Ben Simmons also left with a knee contusion and didn’t return.

Trendon Watford #9 of the Brooklyn Nets makes shot against the Orlando Magic during a regular season matchup. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Trendon Watford #9 of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during a regular season matchup against the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center. Michelle Farsi/New York Post

Franz Wagner had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead Orlando (15-7).

The game was knotted at 83-all before a 3-pointer from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope broke the deadlock for good.

Keon Johnson #45 of the Brooklyn Nets plays defense during the game against the Orlando Magic on December 1, 2024 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBAE via Getty Images

Schroder fed Johnson for a fast break dunk to cut the deficit to one. But they coughed up six unanswered points and never challenged again.