Jordi Fernandez Breaks Down Nets' Loss to Heat

As high as the Brooklyn Nets were riding heading into Thursday night's matchup against the Miami Heat, they fell nearly as hard, losing 106-95 at home. After winning four of their previous six games, the Nets' most recent defeat puts them at 7-19 on the season, while the Heat are now 15-12, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Any team that suffers that many defeats in a row should be due for a win, but that doesn't take anything away from Brooklyn's lack of production. The team shot 39% from the field and 22% from three (49 attempts), while getting to the free-throw line just a handful of times (8-for-11).

Jordi Fernandez Speaks on Brooklyn's Lack of Offense

Still, head coach Jordi Fernandez was satisfied with the team's shot selection. The Heat's early 11-point lead was squandered quickly, and the Nets managed to keep the game competitive until midway through the fourth quarter.

"I'm happy with the looks that we had, [they just] didn't go in," Fernandez said. "So sometimes, a little bit of that is the difference."

Brooklyn had to rely on players outside of Michael Porter Jr. to create good looks in the first half. In his first 17 minutes of action, he put up 11 points, but did so on 4-for-13 shooting from the field. The second was a different story, as the veteran forward notched 17 points on a way better 6-for-11 shooting.

In terms of drawing fouls, Brooklyn severely lacked in that department. The team's 11 free-throw attempts are less than half of its average (24.3 per game). The Heat only had 19 of their own, but a few more looks at the rim could have been the difference on a night where the Nets struggled to create efficient offense.

Fernandez's response to the calls appeared like it would be a jab at first, but he actually appreciated the officials letting both teams give more contact.

"I thought, for the most part, they called a good football game out there, because it was not basketball," Fernandez said. "It was physical on both ends. I'm happy with that. I think that we drove enough times that we should have gotten the same amount of free throws, but it is what it is. I still think that the officials did a good job."

Satisfaction on the Defensive End

On the other side of the floor, the Nets allowed just 76 points through the final three quarters. Miami took fewer threes (28), creating more inside with paint points from Kel'el Ware (22 points, 12 rebounds). Norman Powell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. were the leading wings with a combined 43 points.

Aside from a few Heat players having efficient nights, Brooklyn held them to rough shooting splits (46-32-79). The game ultimately came down to the final seven minutes or so, when Miami went on a 27-18 run to close it out.

"[The Heat are] a good running team. We did a good job in the second half of holding them to four fastbreak points instead of 13 in the first," Fernandez said.

"With that being said, those points off turnovers and the three-point line, but I'm very proud of how the team fought and competed all the way through, so a lot of positives."

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