Nets fall to the Jazz, 92-90, after failing to execute in the second half

Tonight, the Nets had an opportunity to put the Utah Jazz away early, except they couldn't get past their struggles in the 3rd or 4th quarters.

Brooklyn looked good early, seeing both Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson get active on the offensive side of the ball, while Kris Humphries, who was back in the starting lineup, returned to cleaning up the glass. With their offensive execution, and the Jazz lack of a defensive presence, the Nets seemed to be walking away with this one, as they took a 57-44 lead into halftime.

Then, came the 3rd quarter.

The Jazz out-hustled the Nets in the 3rd quarter, and found ways to disrupt their offensive flow. At times it almost looked like the Nets were resting on their first-half execution, failing to make the proper adjustments as the Jazz countered with bigger lineups. The Nets, in the 3rd, found themselves out-scored 26-17, and it didn't get any better from there.

In the 4th, the Jazz played nearly as sloppy as the Nets, yet they still managed to eventually pull away, thanks to their work off the offensive glass and the defensive effort put on by some of their bench players, including Derrick Favors and DeMarre Carrol. In fact, Carroll was responsible for essentially shutting down Joe Johnson in the 4th, holding him to 0-of-4 shooting from the floor.

Team leaders all expressed frustration with the Nets overall play, as Tim Bontemps tweeted.

Joe Johnson: "Our third quarter has been our Achilles heel. We haven't figured it out."

Gerald Wallace: "Losing hurts period. At home, on the road, it doesn't matter where."

Deron Williams: "We can't keep giving leads away. We have to be mentally tougher than this."

The number that really stood out was the offensive boards, with the Jazz pulling down 18 to the Nets 12. However, the sequence that will leave many scratching their heads was the final 20 seconds of the game, when actually both teams seemed like they didn't want to come away with a victory at the end.

• Final, Box Score - NBA.com
• Brooklyn Nets tickets - TiqIQ
• Jazz rally, then hold on to beat Nets 92-90 - AP
• Jazz vs. Nets: First Half Video Highlights - NBA.com
• Lopez Circus Shot (Video) - NBA.com
• Notebook: Jazz 92, Nets 90 - Jake Appleman - NBA.com
  
• Avery Johnson on loss to Jazz, start to December (Video) - YES Network
  
• Lopez on second-half struggles, turnovers (Video) - YES Network
• Humphries on Nets' struggles in the third quarter (Video) - YES Network
• Utah Jazz vs. Brooklyn Nets - Recap - ESPN New York
  
• Nets start fast ... only to fold again - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
  
• Nets’ Williams Continues to Be Haunted by Team That Traded Him - Howard Beck - New York Times
  
• Brooklyn Nets can't connect at buzzer, Deron Williams struggles - Stefan Bondy - NY Daily News
• Nets blow 13-point halftime lead, fall to Jazz - Rod Boone - Newsday
• Brooklyn Nets fall to Utah Jazz, 92-90 - Tim Bontemps
  
• Favors enjoys return - David Satriano - New York Post
• Nets coach Avery Johnson said he is not fazed by Deron Williams’ criticism of offense - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
  
• Nets Look Weak At Full Strength - Scott Cacciola - WSJ.com
• Late Charge Call Against Deron Williams Dooms Nets, Stuns Barclays - Moke Hamilton - SNY
  
• Avery restores lineup, but can’t change results (Video) - Jason Schott - Brooklyn Fans
• D-Will, Avery Talk Offense and Jazz (Video) - Jason Schott - Brooklyn Fans
  
• Utah Jazz survive errors to notch comeback win over Brooklyn Nets - Bill Oram - The Salt Lake Tribune
• Utah Jazz instant analysis: Jazz muster victory over the Nets - David Smith - Deseret News
• Utah Jazz report card: Jazz win ugly — but do win — on the road against Brooklyn - Rhett Wilkinson - Deseret News
  
• Nets-Jazz score: Brooklyn relinquishes halftime lead, falls to Utah late - Asher Feldman - SB Nation New York
• Utah Jazz 92 at Brooklyn Nets 90 -- Quick Recap - SLC Dunk