Nets lose blowout to Timberwolves with end of season finally in sight

The Nets dropped their final road game of the season, 117-91, to Minnesota before a sellout crowd of 18,978 at Target Center on Friday night. 

This tanking campaign is mercifully almost over, with just the finale Sunday against the Knicks. Brooklyn (26-55) is bound for its worst campaign since 2016-17, when it went just 20-62. 

The Nets trailed by 28 and got dominated inside by Rudy Gobert. 

“It’s really hard to win a basketball game when you shoot 37 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3. You’re just not going to win many games, unless your defense is close to perfect, and our defense wasn’t close to perfect,” Jordi Fernández said. 

“We didn’t win a single quarter, so I have higher expectations for the group and how we want to handle all those games. I’m OK with losing a game. I’m not OK with not fighting the right way.” 

Playing without Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams, the Nets had no answers against Gobert.

They put two on the ball with the pick-and-roll, but Gobert rolled hard to the rim and had a career-high-tying 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting with 11 boards. 

“Yeah, no excuses. I don’t care if we don’t have two bigs,” said Fernández,. “For the same reason instead of 41 we should’ve shot 60 3s, and we didn’t. If you’re not bigger than them, then you have to bring physicality, be there early, take charges. We fouled, [but] soft fouls and some and-ones. Those things are things that we have to do better.” 

Keon Johnson led the Nets with 20 points, six assists and five boards.

But they allowed 58 points in the paint, shot just 37.1 percent and got roughed up. 

The Nets coughed up a 30-9 Timberwolves run that spanned from four minutes left in the first quarter until well into the second. 

Then they saw the game get entirely out of hand with another run in the third. This time a 25-9 spurt blew it open. 

They trailed 96-68 with 2:19 left in the third on a 3-pointer by former Knick Julius Randle, who scored 21. 

Minnesota (48-33) has won seven of eight, and eight of 10. It didn’t pull the starters until there were just three minutes remaining, up 110-88. 

Cam Thomas, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Johnson were also out for the Nets. 

Brooklyn’s first 3 of the night — by Jalen Wilson — was its team-record 1,090th of the season. Wilson’s 117 3s are fourth most of any first- or second-year Net. 

“The way they were doubling pick-and-rolls, I was able to get a lot of opportunities in the half court and trying to be aggressive,” Gobert said.