Luckily for the Nets, it's only preseason.
After an ugly 92-83 loss Saturday to the New York Knicks, the Nets traveled to Madison Square Garden and laid another egg. Although the Nets remained competitive in the entire game, the Knicks subs closed out New Jersey's first string and held on, 88-82.
The Nets emerge from the 0-2 preseason with good and bad news. The good news is Deron Williams is scoring the ball and Brook Lopez is rebounding it.
The bad news is they're sharing said ball with the other team a little too much.
The Nets combined for 45 turnovers in the two games. Williams brushed aside the turnovers, saying those numbers were customary in preseasons of Utah's past.
Despite a roster that is not vastly improved from last season and horrid free-throw shooting, the Nets made a game of it with the Knicks.
The Knicks led, 65-64, after three quarters but rested their starters in the fourth. The Nets first string finally pulled ahead 77-75 on a Brook Lopez layup with 6:22 remaining in the game.
Up to that point, the Nets had a pretty successful night. The ending was fitting for a Nets game.
The Knicks reserves embarked on an 11-0 run that spanned 3:05.
The highlights came when the MSG crowd chanted "We want Humphries!" Humphries, who officially re-signed Wednesday morning, played 5:40 and arrived to massive boos upon his entrance.
"I felt like Rudy," Humphries said.
"That's the first time I've ever heard a crowd rooting for an opposing player to enter the game," Deron Williams added.
Humphries should start the season opener at power forward.
Williams and Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 21 points. For the Nets, Lopez added 15 points while Damion James scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
The Nets next game will come on Dec. 26 against the Washington Wizards, their first game of the regular season.
Nets closing in on Stevenson?
The Post's Fred Kerber reported that the Nets were close to a deal with DeShawn Stevenson.
Stevenson played for the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks last season. He famously played hero in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, converting on 3-of-5 three-pointers in the 105-95 win.
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