Yeah, the Brooklyn Nets lost again Wednesday night to the Los Angeles Lakers; but it was Jason Kidd's intentional drink spill that made headlines.

Kidd bumped into Brooklyn reserve Tyshawn Taylor with 8.3 seconds left in the game causing his drink to spill on the court. What seemed as an accident at first, it was later confirmed a setup after a replay showed Kidd telling Taylor to "hit me," as the guard walked toward the bench.

Because of the spill, the Nets had time to draw up a play while the floor was being cleaned up, but still they still lost 99-94.

But not so fast, Kidd was later fined $50,000 Thursday by the NBA after they reviewed him telling Taylor to purposely bump him.

Paul Pierce took the last shot for the Nets on Wednesday--what Kidd described as a "great look."

But the only problem was, Pierce was only 4-17. Was he the most suitable player to take the last three-pointer that could've tied the game? Probably not.

Joe Johnson finished strong for the Nets with 18 points, along with Mirza Teletovic who had 17.

For the Lakers, Nick Young who didn't start led his team with 26, while Pau Gasol scored 21.

Injuries are still hurting the Nets, as Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Tornike Shenegelia and Jason Terry all watched from the sidelines.

The Lakers played without their star Kobe Bryant due to a torn Achilles and Steve Nash is still recovering from nerve damage in his back.

Before tip-off, Coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters that his team and the Nets have a lot in common. Besides trying to fill the void with Bryant out, D'Antoni said expectations with the Lakers have not been made yet, similar to Brooklyn since they got the three-way blockbuster trade over the summer.

"They're fighting for our lives like we are," D'Antoni said.

Update: And it seems as if it's only going to get worse for Brooklyn now 5-12 and 4th in the Atlantic Division as they will have to make way without Paul Pierce. The team announced Monday that he will miss two-four weeks due to a broken bone in his right hand. The Nets can't catch a break!

A bright spot, rookie Isaiah Whitehead led all Brooklyn Nets scorers with his career-high 19 points in 29 minutes

The San Antonio Spurs arrived in Brooklyn for Monday evening’s matchup with the Nets as a banged up group. Pau Gasol (left hand), Manu Ginobili (back spasms), and Tony Parker (foot) are all on the mend right now. Even Kawhi Leonard (hand), who will be starting his second straight All-Star game in February, is resting for precautionary reasons. One would think that the Nets would be getting a break not having to deal with Leonard’s many talents, but this is the Spurs, and for this storied franchise, drafting and finding quality talent across the globe is a significant part of their fabric.

Without their stars, the Spurs displayed that global talent through their depth as Patty Mill’s big second quarter set the stage for an 112-86 rout over the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. The Nets were competitive in the first half for the most part but with three minutes left until the half, Brooklyn had a melt-down defensively and the Aussie had a lot to do with it. With the Spurs nursing a slim one-point lead, 39-38, Kyle Anderson would find Mills at the top of the key, wide-open, for a three that improved their lead to 42-38 with 2:41 remaining in the quarter.

After Trevor Booker’s one-handed dunk brought the Nets to within three, 43-40, Mills slipped around a screen to drain a mid-range jumper assisted by former New York Knick David Lee, which put the Spurs up five, 45-40 with 1:30 left until halftime. A couple plays later, following two Nets turnovers, Mills would be involved, contributing to three straight Spurs baskets, finding Dewayne Dedmon off a pick-n-roll, draining a 20-foot jumper and another three. He scored nine points in the final three minutes of the quarter, helping the Spurs to build a ten-point 52-42 lead heading into halftime.

“The game plan is still the same,” Mills said post-game in regards to not having their stars. “What’s expected of us is the same. So it’s just that opportunity.”

And I am assuming what is expected is excellence. Midway through the third, the Spurs defense buckled down and frustrated the Nets into bad shots, which included Booker attempting a three at the 6:33 mark, which is not what the Nets want on offense.

Prior to Booker’s miss, Jonathan Simmons 19-foot jumper which put the Spurs up 68-54 with 6:43 left till the fourth jumpstarted an 11-2 run that signaled the end of any competitiveness this game displayed earlier during the first half.

The Nets average 105.8 points per game and the Spurs held them to 86 points total. They also forced the Nets to shoot a horrendous 5-25 from three-point range equivalent to 20 percent. Despite the defensive turnaround favoring his teams’ effort in the second, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich still wants more from his team early in games.

“I think it’s been our pattern really,” Popovich said post-game. “The first half we usually play pretty mediocre defense for some reason, I haven’t figured it out yet. Second half we turned it up defensively and that’s usually the key for us because it fuels the offense, so it’s just a matter of trying to make stops.”

Brook Lopez, the Nets leading scorer (20.3 ppg) scored eight first quarter points and two points each in the second and third quarters, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds for the game. He would go scoreless in the fourth but by that time the game was already decided. The Spurs frustrated Lopez down on the block, so much so that the big collected a technical foul within the first minute of the second quarter.

The Nets, collectively, had a tough shooting night (39 percent) and Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson believes that their recent stretch of playing three games in four nights could have something to do with it.

“I think we fought in New Orleans, Charlotte, but tonight we just didn’t have the requisite energy,” Atkinson said during his post-game press conference. “…I just think their energy level was at a much higher level than ours.”

As far as positives for the young group, Isaiah Whitehead led all Nets scorers with 19 points in 29 minutes but was a minus 20 on the floor which needs to be better. The steady Sean Kilpatrick scored 17 points and Spencer Dinwiddie, who started chipped in 13.

What’s missing in all of this is the play of Caris LeVert. The rookie’s play of late has been inspiring and in their ninth win of the season against the New Orleans Pelicans last Friday, the former Wolverine scored 17 points. The Net’s could’ve used his length and size against someone like Mills on the perimeter who finished with 20 points on the evening.

“We can’t blame it on (LeVert) and Joe Harris for that matter being out,” Atkinson said post-game. “We have a roster of 15 and we expect the same type of energy from our guys that are going to take those minutes.”

It’s pretty clear that the Nets are not the Spurs. The Spurs can afford to have as many stars out and still play at a top-tier level. Even without, Gasol, Parker, Leonard and Ginobili, Lamarcus Aldridge still played and Mills is a champion.

Aldridge (16 pts 9 rebs), Anderson (14 pts), Dedmon (10 pts), Lee (15 pts), Davis Bertans (11 pts) and Jonathan Simmons (11 pts) would all join Mills in double figures which illustrate a luxury that the Nets just don’t have.

Against the Miami Heat (15-30), who will invade Barclays on Wednesday night, the Nets will need all the help they can get.

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Lopez led all Nets scorers with 26 points; Nets’ first and third quarter performance were key to 115-100 loss

Wednesday was the first game of the Brooklyn Nets’ 2015 NBA regular season. The first game is generally an extension of the preseason, as teams are working out the kinks and trying different schemes all while trying to outwit their opponent. Now, that’s not to say that teams are okay with losing because that is hardly the case because you always want to start off on a good note even when you are hosting the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls finished last season 50-32 compared to the Nets’ win-loss of 38-44. The Bulls also have a team with four All-Stars: Derrick Rose; Joachim Noah; Pau Gasol; and Jimmy Butler. In fact, Rose was a perennial NBA All-Star when he was healthy in 2010 -12; he was also an NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009 and NBA MVP in 2011.

By contrast, the Brooklyn Nets only NBA All-Stars are Brook Lopez (2013) and Joe Johnson (2014).

During the first quarter last night, the Bulls played the Brooklyn Nets like the wind blows in Chicago during winter, ending the first quarter with 30 points compared to the Nets 19.

By the end of the second quarter, things looked promising for the Brooklyn Nets, as both teams finished the half shooting 56 percent. The score at the end of the second quarter was 58-55 in favor of the Bulls. However, the Nets were virtually even in points in the paint 28 vs. the Bulls’ 24; both teams had four second chance points and the Nets led the Bulls 6-4 at the half with fast break points. Nevertheless, it was the first and third quarters where the Nets just fell apart, scoring only 19 and 16 points respectively compared to the Bulls 30 and 28 points.

Brooklyn Nets center and team captain, Brook Lopez who led all Nets scorers with 26 points, seven rebounds and two assists, gave his assessment of the third quarter.

“I think it was shot selection,” Lopez said. “I rushed a few. We could have definitely made a few more swings to turn good looks into great looks.”

Lopez also praised the Nets reserves for keeping the team in the game.

“The second unit was great for us,” Lopez continued. “They came in twice and saved the game for us with their energy and effort. I’m very disappointed in myself in the first and third quarter. I don’t feel like I played well, and it hurt us.”

The Nets made an effort to finish strong tying the Bulls 29 points in the fourth quarter, it was just not enough and the Nets lost to the Bulls 115-100.

In addition to Lopez, the Nets other double-digit points leaders were Andrea Bargnani (17); Thaddeus Young (12); and Joe Johnson (10). In fact, Johnson hit a double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Nets Head Coach Lionel Hollins weighs in on loss

“You have to make shots, you have to make lay-ups, you have to make mid-range shots, you have to make shots in the paint; 39 for 93, we didn’t make them anyway” said an exasperated Coach Hollins.