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Same old, same old for the Nets, as they fall to the Bucks 108-93

Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before...

By Tom Lorenzo

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Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Nets were without Deron Williams tonight, who was a late scratch thanks to a bruised right wrist. It was Williams' first DNP of the season, slotting C.J. Watson into the starting point guard position.

It wasn't a terrible start for the Nets, as they managed nine assists to just two turnovers in the first quarter, building a 24-22 lead. It was a terrible finish, however, as they lost by 15, 108-93. Angering many Nets fans, Avery Johnson said in the post-game news conference that the Nets had "battled," a phrase he commonly used during the last two years of mediocre basketball in Newark.

At least one Nets player admitted that the team had not "battled." Gerald Wallace told beat writers, “Guys are content with the situation we are in & I'm f------ pissed off about us losing, especially losing the way we are losing.”

As it progressed, the game had a familiar look.

Williams' injury meant that Tyshawn Taylor would, and did, get an early look. Taylor checked in at the start of the second quarter, while MarShon Brooks saw some early first quarter run. Taylor struggled to defend Brandon Jennings -- which certainly isn't an easy task -- but you could see Jennings exploiting the mismatch, forcing Taylor to bite on back-to-back pump fakes.

Once again, in a stretch that mirrored Tuesday's game against the Celtics, it was an ugly second quarter for the Nets who were outscored 33-18, thanks in part to their inability to get any offensive rhythm. The Nets had just one assist to three turnovers in the second, entering halftime down 55-42.

From there it was "same old, same old" for the Nets. Just as we discussed yesterday, regarding the team's poor mental state, resigned to losing, the Nets fell into a hole against the Bucks and really couldn't bring themselves to climb out of it.

At one point the Nets had trimmed the lead down to seven late in the third quarter, but from there it was just another poor sequence, allowing for the Bucks to regain their breathing room and heading into the fourth quarter up by 11.

In the fourth, the Nets again tried to make it interesting. Taylor hit a three, four minutes into the quarter, to pull the Nets within four points, 84-80. But, just like that, the Bucks went on a run after Wallace took a 25-foot jumper, followed by Keith Bogans taking a contested 3-point attempt on the next possession. From there, the Bucks started to pull away, thanks to some open 3-point looks.

Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

Quick Notes:

The Nets shot 38.6 percent from the floor and just 4-of-21 from the 3-point line. They are now 14-14 on the season.

It was the Nets' 13th straight loss to the Bucks.

Taylor, in his first extended minutes, scored seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, including 1-for-2 from deep, but he handed out only one assist in 20 minutes. MarShon Brooks also played 20 minutes, getting burn in both the first and second halves. He finished with five points on 2-for-5 shooting. He also grabbed three rebounds.

Ersan Ilyasova, rumored last week as a Nets trade target, had his best game in more than a week, reaching a double double (17 points and 11 boards) off the bench and surviving a couple of body checks from Reggie Evans. Gary Woelfel, the Racine Journal-Times writer who first reported the Nets interest in Ilyasova, wasn't backing down on the rumor, tweeting late Wednesday, "Ilyasova, who easily could be a Net, has double double against them tonight: 17 pts, 10 boards."

For more on the Bucks, see: Brew Hoop

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