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#Nets give up 153 points in ugly loss blowout loss to Kings

“Nets give up 153 points in ugly loss blowout loss to Kings”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This wasn’t injuries or exhaustion. It was just plain embarrassment.

The Nets rolled over in the second quarter and were humiliated in the third. And their defense folded like flimsy paper in a 153-121 blowout loss to the Kings on Tuesday night at Golden1 Center.

The Nets became the first NBA team this season to allow 150 points, and the 153 were the most the Kings have mustered since 1993.

The Nets (6-9) trailed by as many as 39 points on a night when they did not compete.

“S–t, we got smacked. They were better offensively and defensively. They played as a team four quarters,” said Ben Simmons, who had 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. “They just played better than us. … They wanted it more. Obviously we didn’t want it.”

With the score knotted at 40-all early in the second quarter, the Kings went on a 29-4 run — and the Nets lost much of the positive energy that coach Jacque Vaughn had been working to instill since replacing the fired Steve Nash. If the so-called “new coach bounce” is real, it may be wearing off. Vaughn is now 4-4 since taking the job, and the Nets are coming off consecutive blowouts.

Domantas Sabonis, who scored 17 points, dunks the ball during the Nets' 153-121 blowout loss to the Kings.
Domantas Sabonis, who scored 17 points, dunks the ball during the Nets’ 153-121 blowout loss to the Kings.
NBAE via Getty Images

After TNT backed out of the Knicks-Jazz game to air this one, the nationwide audience was treated to an absolute caning.

“That’s not acceptable from us,” Simmons said. “All of us: Players, coaches, that’s unacceptable.”

As Kyrie Irving missed a seventh straight game because of his suspension, the Nets allowed Sacramento to shoot .602 from the field and .488 from 3-point range. They wasted another strong night from Kevin Durant, who had 27 points, six assists, four rebounds, and are in danger of wasting his stellar season.

Edmond Sumner, with 18 points, was the only other Net to acquit himself well.

Showing the same Achilles’ heel so glaringly exposed by the Lakers two nights earlier, the Nets attacked in the paint on both ends of the court. And they put up little resistance as they were punished on offense and defense.

“I don’t know if our minds our bodies and souls are still in L.A. L.A. will do that to you sometimes. We definitely gave maximum effort against the Clippers [in a victory on Saturday] and we’ve been reeling since,” Vaughn said. “Give them credit. They basically kicked our butts. We all were a part of it. I’m a part of it. We’ve got another game on this trip. How will we respond with this last game on the trip [Thursday at Portland]?”

The Kings shot 10-for-12 in that game-deciding blitz, including 6-for-6 inside the 3-point arc. The Nets shot 1-for-11 during the run, and just 1-for-8 in the paint.

By the time Harrison Barnes’ free throw left the Nets down 69-44, the clock read 2:22 remaining in the first half. There was no drama left in the game and no fight left in the Nets.

The Kings, who have won six of eight, were led by Terence Davis, who scored a game-high 31 points, and center Domantas Sabonis, who had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in outplaying Nic Claxton. And in truth, Vaughn had no better options to go to.

Kevin Durant, who scored 27 points, looks to make a move  on De'Aaron Fox during the Nets' loss.
Kevin Durant, who scored 27 points, looks to make a move on De’Aaron Fox during the Nets’ loss.
NBAE via Getty Images

The Nets fell behind right out of the gate, and were down 24-11 midway through the first quarter after a Kevin Huerter 3-pointer.

Still trailing 30-20 after a Sabonis layup, the Nets clawed their way back.

Seth Curry hit a 3-pointer off a Ben Simmons feed to pull them even at 40-all with 9:11 left before the break. But that’s when the Nets gave up the ghost — and a 16-0 run.

“The sequence was a little shattering to our confidence,” Vaughn said.

Davis sandwiched a steal and pair of 3-pointers around a Davion Mitchell jumper. On the second 3, Davis bodied Patty Mills off the ball and hit a running pull-up that made it 48-40.

Consecutive Davis buckets — a driving layup, followed by his steal of a lazy Joe Harris pass and breakaway dunk — pushed it to 52-40. Sabonis capped the run with two from the line to make it 56-40 with 4:57 left in the half.

The deficit kept swelling in the second half.

Sabonis found Huerter for a running 3-pointer to make it 109-70 with four minutes left. But it had long since been garbage time.

“They made shots. I mean, that’s demoralizing when you see teams making shots,” Durant said. “It’s not like we didn’t try. It just felt like they were just better than us on the offensive side of the ball.”

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