Joe Johnson still underachieving, scores only nine points for Brooklyn Nets

Despite having three players with double-doubles, the Nets lost to the Washington Wizards 111-96, at the Barclays Center on Sunday. Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez led his team with 19 points, 11 rebounds; Thaddeus Young scored 16 points 14 boards, and Jarrett Jack chipped in 15 points and 11 assists.

Although Bojan Bogdanovic, a member of the Nets starting five, didn’t have a double-double, he registered 14 points, five boards, and two assists.

As with other games, the final score doesn’t give the total story. The Nets were hanging close and even went up six late in the third quarter. Young even had 12 of his 14 rebounds in the first half.

However, Washington turned into real wizards going on a 16-2 run late in the fourth quarter. The Wizards were up 19 points with less than four minutes remaining and outscored the Nets 32-19.

The Nets starting five outscored the Wizards starting five 73-71. However, Washington’s bench saved the day, beating back the Nets’ reserves 40-23. Even Kris Humphries, who was married to Kim Kardashian for all of 72 days, chipped in 10 points for the Wizards.

Washington’s Marcin Gortat led all scorers with 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal. John Wall added 22 points and 13 assists.

Nets Breakdown in the fourth quarter

The Nets entered the fourth quarter down two points and then things began to unravel. It was as though the team had lost its compass; they had eight turnovers in the fourth quarter alone.

“I think they were kind of unforced,” Lopez explained about the turnovers in the fourth quarter. “I could’ve come to the ball more- I should’ve. I think we got up to playing at their pace a little bit and got away from our game. But, it definitely started defensively. I did a poor job on the pick and roll, and that led everything.”

”They hit a few big threes,” Lopez continued. “I don’t think we did a good job really of adjusting to what they were doing. It kind of just fell apart from there. They got hot and kept going.”

Losing is taking its toll on the team; the Nets (8-22) have lost their last six home games.

"We're the team we are at the moment," Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins said of the Nets being 14 games under .500. "We're struggling to get better. We have starts of moving forward and then we have lags where we go backwards."

Next up: The Nets will play the Miami Heat on Monday.