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Nets Fall 101-96 to Fenerbahce Ulker in Exhibition Matchup

By Anthony Puccio
Al Bello/Getty Images

The Nets can't lose a preseason game to a Turkish team, right? Nonetheless to Bojan Bogdanovic's former team, Fenerbahce Ulker!

Well, they did, 101 - 96. They clearly have some stuff to work on.

Fenerbahce had the Nets on their toes the entire game. With a loud Turkish crowd supporting their homeland heroes, it was hard to tell who the home team really was.

Fener had their largest lead of the night after the third quarter where they led, 82-72. Luigi Datome (16 points) , Bogdan Bogdanovic (17 points), and Jan Vesely (18 points) were all huge factors for Fener. The Nets seemed to have zero answers for the former (and future) NBA players.

The Nets trailed by three with seven seconds remaining in the game. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson got to the hole and missed the layup, eventually sealing the deal for Fener. The crowd was going absolutely nuts as the underdogs upset an NBA team. Last preseason, the Nets easily handled Macabbi Tel Aviv.

Fener shot 52% from three and out-assisted the Nets, 26-16. Brooklyn on the other hand, shot a poor 38% from the field.

Fenerbahce also turned the ball over 18 times, but the Nets failed to capitalize.

Is it time to panic?!

Post-game, there was none of that, with Lionel Hollins dismissing the loss as a product of Fener having practiced more than the Nets.

"We fought, we battled, we played hard, but we can’t turn the ball over 19 times and give up 20 second-chance points," Hollins said. "We also missed 19 shots in the paint, so this is a good barometer and baseline to start from. We’ll go look at film to get back to work, and move forward."

Hollins declined to discuss any of his players' performances.  So we did.

Star of the night for Brooklyn: 

Thomas Robinson: "T-Rob" was an absolute HOUND on the glass. He grabbed 16 rebounds (9 offensive) and scored 12 points in 26 minutes. His ability to run the floor was electrifying. In his first 12 minutes, he already had two transition dunks and two steals.

Other players, other notes:

Brook Lopez: HE HIT A THREE-POINTER. IT REALLY HAPPENED. Other than that, the big fella dropped 18 points and blocked four shots in 23 minutes. Lopez looked like an animal down low, forcing double teams from Fener most of the way. It'll be important for him to kick it out when those double teams occur during the regular season.

Jarrett Jack: Jack was Jack. He scored 11 points and dished out just one assist in 18 minutes. He was -11 in the 18 minutes played, something that Jack's been heavily criticized on.

Joe Johnson: Joe 'Cool' was really cruising tonight. He took only four shots on the night and finished with five points.

Thaddeus Young: Wasn't too active in the beginning of the game, but came up strong in the second half. Didn't see much from his outside game, but displayed much of what we're used to from Young. He puts his shoulder down and pounds the rock down low. He finished with 12 points & 6 rebounds.

Shane Larkin: Pushed the tempo especially nice in the first quarter after subbing in for Jarrett Jack. On one of his first possessions, he dished a beautiful no-look pass to a trailing Bojan Bogdanovic. Apparently his tiny hands don't effect his court vision.

Bojan Bogdanovic: Looked a little like the Bojan of last year ... He started the game 0-for-3 and looked uncomfortable on the offensive end. Shane Larkin found him in transition, but Bogie was denied at the rim by Luigi Datome. Like I said, similar to last season, he struggled to finish around the rim. He only took four shots and missed all of them. Not the best performance against his former team.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: Looked more engaged on defense. Had one nice steal. Offensively, he could've been worse. He scored six points on five attempts. He drove aggressively, nailed a mid-range jumper and hit two shots at the free throw line.

Wayne Ellington: Nailed his first three three-pointers he looked at. His shot looked smooth as can be, and as we know, it'll be crucial for him to nail the three ball on consistent basis for the second unit. He finished the night with 16 points. If Robinson didn't go off, he would've been the most impressive reserve of the night.

Dahntay Jones: For what it's worth, Jones was the first man off his seat whenever the Nets executed. He appears to be a leader for this young team.  Hoewver, he saw no action on the court. Nor did Sergey Karasev, Donald Sloan or Chris Daniels. All were healthy.

Did not play: Andrea Bargnani (left hamstring), Markel Brown (left oblique), Chris McCullough (knee rehab), and Willie Reed (right quad) all sat with injuries.

Bargnani, a surprise scratch, said he sat because of "tightness" in his hamstring and dismissed its importance to beat writers post-game.

The Nets will play the Detroit Pistons in Detroit on Thursday.

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