The Nets are four games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final Play-In spot in the Eastern Conference with just 13 games left. They enter Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Barclays Center as losers of three straight following Sunday’s 122-115 defeat at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in overtime.
Brooklyn went 1-4 on its recent six-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents, and that included three awful losses to Detroit, Charlotte and San Antonio, which have a combined 44-160 record. And it does not get any easier for the Nets. The Pelicans have won six of their last eight games and Brooklyn will play four straight games away from Barclays Center following Tuesday’s matchup.
The Nets are just 10-24 on the road this season. Their next four opponents after New Orleans — the Bucks, Knicks, Raptors and Wizards — have a combined record of 119-153 this season, but Milwaukee and New York are among the best teams in the Eastern Conference. And as bad as Toronto and Washington have been, Brooklyn’s last visits to Scotiabank Arena and Capital One Arena both resulted in losses.
The path to the Play-In remains treacherous for the Nets, to say the least. And there is not much confidence outside the locker room that they will be able to overcome their current predicament. But Cam Thomas, for one, has not lost hope.
Following Sunday’s loss, the 22-year-old told reporters that Brooklyn’s postseason aspirations are still well within reach.
“It’s the same discussion,” Thomas said. “We have about [13] games left, we’re still in the race for the last spot in the Play-In, so whatever we have to do, we just have to pull together and figure out how to string together these wins because we’re right there. Like, right there… We’re still there no matter how many times we lose. And it’s crazy, honestly. Any other team would be out of it but we’re still there, so that’s a plus. But we just have to find a way to string together these wins and close out these games so we can have the opportunity.
“But the season’s still alive for us… There’s a lot of time for us to make something shake.”
The Nets somehow rallying to make the Play-In Tournament would give this team some much-needed momentum entering the offseason, but the numbers say they probably will not accomplish much from there.
Seven seeds are 6-0 since the inception of the Play-In Tournament during the 2020-21 season. Eight seeds are 3-3. Nine seeds are 3-3. Ten seeds, however, are 0-6 all time.
