One interesting wrinkle to the NBA schedule to cut down on travel is occasionally facing the same team in two consecutive games at the same locale.
The Nets already did that once this year on the road with successive games against the Knicks at the Garden, and they will get an immediate opportunity to face the Magic again Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center after absorbing a convincing home loss two nights earlier.
“They brought the fight to us, and that kind of results in loose balls finding their hands, and 3s going down. We understand that, and we understand that it’s a blessing that we get to see them again on Sunday,” Nets forward Cam Johnson said after Orlando’s 123-100 victory. “We need to hit ’em and we need to set screens and be confident in that.
“We need to go through it and watch this game and come back with the mindset that we gotta fight.”
The depleted Nets (9-11) were without leading scorers Cam Thomas (hamstring) and Dennis Schroder (personal reasons), among other rotation players. But first-year coach Jordi Fernandez’s team also committed 20 turnovers (leading to 34 Orlando points) and attempted only 29 shots from 3-point range in its return to Brooklyn following an encouraging 3-1 road trip.
“For sure, especially when a team beats you like that, you want to see them again,” Jalen Wilson said. “You may not see them for a couple of weeks or a month. Luckily we get to see them in a day or two.
“So it’s good to see them again, know what we did wrong, correct it and just play our game. … We gotta correct what we did wrong and fix it.”
Thomas, who is averaging 24.7 points per game, is expected to miss 3-4 weeks after getting injured Monday at Golden State. Johnson noted that the absence of Schroder was “huge” because of his versatility.
“Just the energy he brings to the game, what he’s able to do, how he’s able to play. He’s an important part of what we do,” Johnson said. “Today there’s not that big of a difference across the scoreboard, across the scoresheet. You see the field goals, field-goals attempted, rebounds, 3-pointers, 3-pointers attempted, they just had the edge in all of those categories.
“And then to top it off with 20 turnovers to what, 34 points? That’s a 20-point [swing] right there. So there’s things we can clean up. But I think the base of what we do is intact, it’s where it needs to be. We just need to clean the rest up and continue to compete, and that’s that.”
Led by Franz Wagner’s 29 points, the Magic improved to 14-7 overall — despite the absence of All-Star big man Paolo Banchero since late October with a torn oblique.
Still, Friday’s game marked the sixth different starting lineup in as many games for the Nets, including the first NBA start for guard Tyrese Martin. and a season-high 22 points in 34 minutes off the bench for veteran reserve Shake Milton.
“It’s a ‘next man up’ mentality,” Johnson said. “Everyone knows who we are, and what we want to be. The coaches have confidence in all the guys on our roster, as do all the players. A lot of teams are going through a lot of stuff right now, and it’s part of being in this business.
“I think everybody that played [Friday night] stepped up and competed. We just need, as a group, to pick it up a notch and be a little bit more connected.”