The Nets’ lineup didn’t change after the trade deadline.
Neither did their fortunes.
Struggling Brooklyn came out of Thursday’s deadline the same way they went in, suffering a 118-98 wire-to-wire loss to the Magic before 18,093 at Kia Center in Orlando, Fla.
After the 3 p.m. deadline came and went, the Nets hadn’t made a blockbuster move for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, or dealt away leading scorer Michael Porter Jr.
Other than waiving backup guard Cam Thomas, the rotation remained unchanged.
As did their downward momentum.
The Nets (13-37) have now dropped 10 of their last 11, and 15 of 17. But they can at least take some solace in their rookies.
Back in June, Brooklyn became the first team in NBA history to make five first-round draft picks. And on Thursday, that entire quintet shared the court for the first time all season.
They played together starting with five minutes left, ironically on the same night they traded away a former first-round pick in Thomas.
The page is clearly turned, and this symbolism underscored it.
The Nets’ teen backcourt was a bright spot.
Egor Dёmin had a career-high 26 points on 6-of-10 shooting from deep, joining Kerry Kittles as the only rookies in team history with 26 points and six 3s.
Nolan Traore had 17 of his 21 points in the second half, using his speed to attack downhill and finish with seven assists.
But Brooklyn trailed wire-to-wire, their anemic offense putting them in a 26-point hole that they could never clamber out of.
Tempers boiled over, with Ziaire Williams getting a technical with 8:33 left in the half for slapping the stanchion when Danny Wolf didn’t pass him the ball, and Noah Clowney getting a technical with 7:05 to play.
The Nets shot just 41.5 percent and 12-of-39 from deep. Porter — averaging over 25 points — was held to just nine on 2-of-13 from the floor.
Brooklyn isn’t built to win when he struggles, especially not against a team like the Magic, who improved to 26-24.
Desmond Bane had 23 for Orlando. Paolo Banchero added 22 while Jalen Suggs had 15 points, 11 assists and three steals in harassing Demin and Traore.
The Nets are fourth in the lottery race, a half-game behind Indiana. They’re a game ahead of fifth place Washington, pending the Wizards’ result.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
