Spurs’ balance overwhelms Nets 126-110 as skid reaches 6

The Nets fought back, showed some life and even put together a run that briefly woke up the crowd, but the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed ultimately seemed up to the task. Brooklyn fell to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 126-110 at Barclays Center, slipping to 15-43 and extending its losing streak to six games.

Fans arrived hoping for a showcase at Wembanyama. What they got instead was a Spurs team that spread the load. All five starters finished in double figures, led by Julian Champagnie, who finished with 26 points and six 3-pointers, and San Antonio turned defensive stops into easy offense, outscoring Brooklyn 24-10 in transition.

Wembanyama finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.

Three turnovers in the first four minutes fueled San Antonio’s desire to run, and even when the Nets found pockets of resistance defensively, the offense struggled to keep up. Nolan Traore provided an early spark, sliding into the paint for a sweet floater over Wembanyama before knocking down a 3-pointer, but Brooklyn needed more from everyone.

Michael Porter Jr.’s night started the opposite way. He missed his first five shots and finished just 1 of 7 in eight minutes in the first quarter as the Spurs built an advantage. The driving lanes quickly tightened with Wembanyama roaming the paint. Day’Ron Sharpe found success when the All-Star center was rested, going 3-for-3 inside, but Brooklyn still shot 38.1 percent and trailed 36-22 after one.

Egor Dëmin was pulled three minutes after a defensive error, replaced by fellow rookie Drake Powell, while Danny Wolf took care of the ball for a brief stint in the first quarter. Dëmin came back to open the second and played better, but the damage had already started to pile up.

San Antonio pushed the lead to 22 early in the second before Brooklyn put together a series of stops and cut the margin to 12, but the momentum did not hold. Turnovers resurfaced late in the half and the Spurs converted those extra chances into another split, heading into the break with a 71-56 advantage.

The Nets shot 56.5% in the second quarter, paced by Traore and Noah Clowney, and owned a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points as well as a 34-24 advantage in the paint through two quarters. But perimeter breaches proved costly. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie combined for eight of San Antonio’s nine three-pointers in the first half, and Brooklyn’s eight turnovers turned into 14 points for the Spurs.

Traore’s 11 first-half points on 4-for-7 shooting led the Nets, while Porter, despite inefficient scoring, collected 11 rebounds before halftime, tying the most he has collected in a half in his career. Dëmin, after his first bench, responded with six assists in 16 minutes.

For a brief period in the third, it looked like Brooklyn might have something to say about the outcome.

Porter came out of the locker room aggressive, finishing three straight layups before hitting a 3-pointer that brought his total to 19 points and brought the Nets within six with 8:34 left in the period. Yet San Antonio never lost control.

Every push from Brooklyn was answered. A sweater that comes at just the right time. A transition bucket. A defensive stop that stopped the momentum just as it was starting to build. Even though Porter put up 17 points in the quarter and the Nets repeatedly cut the margin to single digits, the Spurs held on, ultimately winning the period 33-28 and leading 104-84 in the fourth.

From there, the night drifted toward its expected conclusion. With 5:08 left in a 19-point game, Nets newcomer Josh Minott made his debut after being called up from G League affiliate Long Island earlier in the afternoon.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds to lead Brooklyn, but the Spurs’ balance and ability to capitalize on mistakes proved decisive. Wolf and Sharpe each scored 14 points off the bench, with Sharpe adding 11 rebounds in 19 minutes.

One more loss would amount to the Nets’ worst skid at the start of the year. A quick turnaround awaits them, as they travel to TD Garden on Friday for the second half of a back-to-back against the Boston Celtics.