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No Love in The Alamo: San Antonio clobbers Brooklyn, 102-75

By Anthony Puccio
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

When told the Nets have never beaten the Spurs on the road, Brook Lopez was extremely surprised and asked reporters, "Really?"

Really. And that didn't change Friday night.

The Spurs defeated the Nets, 102-75, notching their first victory of the season and leaving the Nets 0-2 to start.

Despite a solid first half that saw the Nets take a 10-point lead, the Spurs busted out of the halftime gates with fire and outscored the Nets 34-17, giving them a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. They shot 15-of-23 in the quarter after shooting roughly 39 percent in the first half.

Turnovers did the Nets in, though, as Brooklyn surrendered seven turnovers in the third quarter compared to just three in the first half.

However, unlike Wednesday night in Brooklyn, the Nets had no fight in the fourth quarter. The Spurs went up 22 midway through the fourth, making for another depressing visit to the AT&T Center for the Nets. They scored just 11 points in the fourth quarter, totaling just 28 in the second half.

Lionel Hollis ripped into the guys late in the fourth quarter, setting an example for the rest of the squad that their performance and/or effort wasn't acceptable.

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs in 26 minutes with 16 points and 10 rebounds. But it wasn't his performance that propelled San Antonio, but rather their balanced offensive attack with five other players finishing in double digits.

Meanwhile, Brook Lopez -- who scored 17 points in 32 minutes, led the Nets, but had very little help from his supporting cast. Jarrett Jack was the only other starter in double figures (12 points, 7 assists), while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson came off the bench and chipped in 10. No other Nets players finished in double figures.

Lopez was one of the few bright spots. Along with his 17 points, the big fella dished out four beautiful assists. Two of his assists came in mid-motion following a post-up. But he had more assists than rebounds.

It would've been easier for Lopez and the Nets had they received some assistance from the shooters. The $24 million man Joe Johnson shot 1-of-7 from the floor, while Wayne Ellington shot 1-of-6. It's not easy for a big man like Lopez to get swarmed with double teams and have trust issues with his perimeter shooters.

Johnson, the NBA's second highest paid player, is a combined 5-of-22 in the first two games of the season.

While Johnson and Ellington continue to hurt the Nets, Hollis-Jefferson is making his case for a spot in the starting lineup.On offense, he seems to be in the right spots at the right time, using his athleticism and awareness to slash in the paint and find the open areas. On defense, he's played solid defense on the ball and recovers well with his speed and length.

As a whole, the Nets shot 40.3 percent from the field and 5-of-16 from three. The Spurs shot 47 percent, but out-rebounded the Nets 56-32. Second-chance points did them in.

We'll see if the Nets can ever put together a complete, 48-minute basketball game. Their track record shows otherwise thus far. Against the Bulls, they showed up for two quarters. Against the Spurs, they showed up for one.

******

The Nets will play the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night.

For more on the San Antonio Spurs, check them out at Pounding The Rock.

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