The Brooklyn Nets lost another game on Monday night, this time at home to the Portland Trail Blazers. Trailing by over 20 points in the first half and then by 31 in the third quarter, the outcome was never really in doubt, save for a wonky fourth quarter where the visitors — who played in Philadelphia the night before — briefly forgot how to play basketball, shooting half their lead in the foot.

The Nets started three rookies next to Ziaire Williams and Nic Claxton, and though little can be gleaned from the veterans in a very March game such as this, this size discrepancy between Claxton and 7’2” Blazers center Donovan Clingan was my big takeaway. That’s not exactly why the Nets were immediately down big — the Blazers shot 5-of-8 from three to open the quarter — but they also grabbed five o-boards (Clingan had three) to Brooklyn’s one. Clingan had multiple plays where he contested the rim before also preventing the Nets from getting on the glass, another solemn reminder of Claxton’s long-term limitations.

That said, Claxton did have his dunk of the year in this one, off an alley-oop…

…and finished with a 12-and-11 double-double, doing some damage while Clingan sat on the bench with foul trouble before predictably sitting out the fourth quarter.

Just as in Philadelphia, though, Brooklyn’s bench impressed more than the starters, and may have deserved to close this one even if the Nets were earnestly trying to win. Ben Saraf (the only Nets first-round rookie who didn’t start) scored ten of his 15 points in the final frame, saving what had previously been an uninspiring night. With an NBA-record three Israelis (Saraf, Deni Avdija, and Danny Wolf via naturalization) playing in this one, Saraf got plenty of crowd support in this one.

“It was great. I was waiting for this game a long time.” said Saraf postgame.

Wolf had a particularly rough start offensively in this one and finished with 8/5/4 on 3-of-9 shooting, while the All-Star Advija didn’t have his best game either, putting up 18/6/5 on 4-of-13 shooting and plenty of trips to the line. No matter, the Blazers didn’t need a heroic effort from any one player, shooting 51% from the floor and 42% from three in this one. If they hadn’t turned it over six times in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, they might’ve secured an even bigger win.

Credit, however, to the feisty Nets. Tyson Etienne also scored 15 points, one off his career-high. Playing without a true back-up five, E.J. Liddell and Chaney Johnson took turns screening and playing the DHO game, and it was the 6’7” Johnson that stood out. He hit a couple pick-and-pop threes, he crashed the glass with aplomb, and finished with 17/9/1 on 6-of-8 shooting, including five o-boards and two 3-pointers in a career night.

Fernández heaped praise on the two-way player, postgame: “He plays bigger than what he is. His length, you know, he may get overlooked, but he can guard almost everybody. He is super active, super athletic. He can shoot the three, like, he does everything well, and he doesn’t try to do too much, and I think that always helps. You see that every time he’s on the court, it’s positive … these games are not wasted. These games are for us to see, you know, how these guys take advantage of their minutes, how much better they can get.”

“I try my best to play as hard as I can,” said Johnson. “So I mean, you know, the 5 is lot of pick-and-pops, pick-and-roll, short rolls, trying to get everybody else involved.”

Sadly, this may not be the bright spot Nets fans are hoping for in these low-stakes spring games. Drake Powell and Nolan Traore combined to shoot just 2-of-14 in this one. Powell missed rim on his first two 3-pointers, while Traore was overwhelmed dealing with Clingan inside.

On Traore, Fernández said, “He looks exhausted, and more than physically, mentally. And [this is] something that is good for him to go through it and understand how much, like, stronger he needs to get, and understand what it is to play almost every other night, and all those things, right?”

Right indeed, though a process that will certainly test Nets’ fans patience. We should all be used to that by now, right? Only 14 games left.

Final Score: Portland Trail Blazers 114, Brooklyn Nets 95

Milestone Watch

• Chaney Johnson scored a total of 18 points in his first four NBA appearances before scoring 17 in this one. The highlight of his young career, by any definition.
• As previously mentioned, 15 points mark Tyson Etienne’s season-high, one off his career-high.
• Nic Claxton recorded his 11th double-double of the season and the 87th of his career, passing Sam Bowie for the eighth-most in Nets franchise history.
• In addition to his 15 points, Ben Saraf recorded four steals. He is the first Nets rookie with 4+ steals in a game since David Duke Jr. on 2/8/22 vs. BOS.
• It was the 11th time the Nets lost a game wire-to-wire, worst in the NBA.
• It was also the 11th time that Nets have gone down by 30 points in a game this season, the most since 1995-96.

Tankathon Update

The Washington Wizards lost their 12th straight on Monday, while the Pacers are on a baker’s dozen. Yeesh. However, the Sacramento Kings have caught fire, winning two straight and three-of-four. So…

Injury Report

The Brooklyn Nets were short-handed on Monday night, but not too short-handed given the circumstances. In addition to Egor Dëmin and Day’Ron Sharpe, whose seasons are already over, Noah Clowney missed the game with rest, Terance Mann with left achilles soreness, and Michael Porter Jr. with an ankle sprain.

It was MPJ’s third straight absence with the ankle sprain, and though Brooklyn has not revealed how severe the injury, Jordi Fernández discussed his leading scorer’s health pregame: “Yeah, not qualified to talk about grades [of sprains], but I can share with you that he did form shooting last game that we played, and today is going to be his first workout. So let’s see how he feels after. It’s getting better, and then we’ll assess.”

Next Up

The MVP is in town. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City visit Barclays Center as the Nets continue their homestand. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening.

• Boxscore: Portland Trail Blazers 114, Brooklyn Nets 95 – NBA
• Game Highlights: Portland Trail Blazers 114, Brooklyn Nets 95 (Video) – NBA
• Jordi Fernandez PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Frank Isola on Ben Saraf and Deni Avdija (Video) – YES Network
• Ben Traore PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Chaney Johnson PostGame Interview (Video) – YES Network
• Avdija and Camara each score 18 as the Trail Blazers coast past the Nets, 114-95 – Adry Torres – AP
• Nets, Blazers make ‘special’ history with three Israelis playing in same game – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Shorthanded Nets sputter early, Trail Blazers cruise to 114-95 win ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets rookies Danny Wolf, Ben Saraf get their first NBA shot at Blazers’ Deni Avdija as Israelis share the stage at Barclays ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News
• Nets lose to Trail Blazers 114-95 despite Chaney Johnson’s 17 points – Sharif Phillips-Keaton – USA TODAY

NEW YORK (AP) — Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara each scored 18 points, and the Portland Trail Blazers coasted to 114-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

Donovan Clingan finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds and reserve Scoot Henderson had 16 points for the Blazers, who never trailed and led by as many as 31.

Nic Claxton had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the short-handed Nets, who have lost four consecutive games and 14 of 16. Leading scorer Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) missed his third straight game and Noah Clowney (rest) was held out.

Claxton recorded his 11th double-double of the season and 87th of his career, passing Sam Bowie for eighth-most in franchise history.

Portland, who opened its five-game road trip with a loss at Philadelphia on Sunday, went on a 10-0 run to start the first quarter and led 35-20 at the end of the period.

The Trail Blazers, who are a half-game behind Golden State for the ninth spot in the Western Conference playoff race, shut down the struggling Nets, who shot just 30 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from long distance to take a 65-41 lead at halftime.

Portland shot 51 percent from the field and 42 percent beyond the three-point line.

The chances of the NBA expanding to Seattle and Las Vegas to start play in the 2028-29 season look good, and of course you have questions.

Like the name of the two prospective NBA teams.

In Las Vegas, it'll be the High Rollers. Or the Outlaws. Or the Spades. Or, maybe this needs be decided by ballot.

In Seattle, is this even a discussion? It'll be the SuperSonics again. Now, will it be appropriate to wear those throwback Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton jerseys? We're not here to judge, only to help make sense of it all.

Let’s get down to businesses of the league expanding to 32 teams from 30 teams.  Because expansion is all about business.

Jaylen Brown looked every bit the part of an MVP candidate Monday night at TD Garden.

With the crowd chanting “MVP” as he repeatedly marched to the free-throw line, Brown poured in 41 points to lead the Boston Celtics past the Phoenix Suns 120–112 in a back-and-forth affair. Devin Booker answered with 40 of his own, turning the game into a highly entertaining battle between two teams that have both outperformed expectations all season.

Suns surge early before Celtics respond

The opening quarter featured a choppy rhythm, with frequent whistles and free throws slowing the flow of play.

Phoenix set the tone early with an aggressive defensive approach out of the gates, pressuring the ball and jumping out to an early 8–0 lead. Boston gradually settled in, responding with defensive stops and beginning to find its offensive rhythm as the quarter progressed.

A late burst from the Celtics, sparked by typical energy from the bench, helped erase the early deficit and briefly push Boston in front. Still, after one quarter the Suns held a 32–31 lead.

Boston flipped the momentum early in the second quarter.

Derrick White caught fire offensively, knocking down multiple three-pointers during a quick scoring burst that pushed the Celtics back in front and forced Phoenix to burn an early timeout. White finished the half with 19 points, including four three-pointers in the second quarter alone, helping stabilize Boston’s offense.

The Celtics continued to move the ball effectively throughout the quarter, generating open perimeter looks and attacking mismatches inside. Boston shot 13-for-21 in the second quarter to take a 65–61 halftime lead, while Devin Booker paced Phoenix with 19 points and four assists in the opening half.

Booker was only getting started.

Booker catches fire in the third

If the Celtics were hoping the Suns might cool off coming out of halftime, Devin Booker had other plans.

The Phoenix guard erupted in the third quarter, scoring 23 consecutive Suns points during one stretch and repeatedly torching Boston from all three levels. Pull-up threes, midrange jumpers, drives to the rim — it didn’t seem to matter what coverage the Celtics threw at him.

At one point Booker had scored Phoenix’s last 21 points, single-handedly keeping the Suns within striking distance as TD Garden collectively braced for the next shot to fall.

But unlike many games where a scoring explosion flips the momentum entirely, Boston kept answering.

The Celtics continued to move the ball crisply on offense, generating open looks around the perimeter while attacking mismatches inside. Payton Pritchard knocked down a pair of timely three-pointers late in the quarter to keep Boston in front despite Booker’s barrage.

By the end of the third, Booker had piled up 35 points, but the Celtics still carried a 91–86 lead into the final quarter.

Brown closes the door in the fourth

The fourth quarter quickly turned into a tense back-and-forth battle.

Payton Pritchard helped Boston create early separation, drilling a deep 31-foot three-pointer early in the period to push the Celtics’ lead to nine and ignite TD Garden. But Phoenix refused to fade, getting timely scoring from Jalen Green and a surprising burst from Haywood Highsmith, who knocked down several difficult shots to keep the Suns within striking distance.

As the quarter progressed, the game tightened. Devin Booker continued to carry the Suns offensively, eventually reaching 40 points, while Boston’s offense briefly stalled amid a stretch of turnovers that allowed Phoenix to surge ahead midway through the quarter.

With the pressure mounting, Jaylen Brown took control.

Brown repeatedly attacked the paint and lived at the free-throw line, drawing loud “MVP” chants from the TD Garden crowd as he stepped to the stripe again and again. The chants only grew louder as the clock wound down, particularly after Brown stripped Booker to spark a transition opportunity that led to an easy finish for Jayson Tatum.

Moments later, Brown cleaned up a miss at the rim to give Boston the lead before returning to the free-throw line once again to extend it.

Phoenix still had chances in the final minute, but Booker missed a key free throw with 22 seconds remaining as Boston’s defense tightened down the stretch. The Celtics then played keep-away in the closing seconds before Jayson Tatum sealed the win from the free-throw line, allowing Boston to close out a hard-fought 120–112 victory.

The victory moves the Celtics to 45–23 on the season, keeping them firmly in the mix near the top of the Eastern Conference standings as the regular season enters its final stretch.

Boston will return to action Wednesday, March 18, when the Celtics host the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden.

DETROIT (AP) — Patrick Kane scored twice for Detroit to move into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time goals list for NHL players born in the U.S. and lead the Red Wings to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.

Kane has 504 career goals, trailing Mike Modano (561), Keith Tkachuk (538) and Jeremy Roenick (513). The 19th-year veteran entered the night tied with Joe Mullen (502). Earlier this season, Kane passed Modano to become the highest-scoring American-born player in league history. Kane now has 1,383 career points in 1,355 games.

Emmitt Finnie, Moritz Seider and Dominik Shine also scored and Alex DeBrincat had three assists for the Red Wings, who started a four-game homestand by stopping a three-game losing streak.

J.T. Compher added two assists and John Gibson made 25 saves for Detroit, which moved into a tie with Montreal for third place in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have two games in hand on the Red Wings, who currently occupy the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Morgan Frost scored late in the first period to put the Flames on the board first, but Detroit scored three times in a span of 5:34 early in the second period to take control. Kane had the first and third goals in that surge.

Matt Coronato added a goal and an assist and Dustin Wolf made 20 saves for Calgary, which finished a five-game road trip through the Eastern Conference at 1-4. The Flames, who have the NHL's second-worst record ahead of only Pacific Division rival Vancouver, are 2-7-1 in their last 10 games.

Up next

Calgary hosts St. Louis on Wednesday.

Detroit hosts Montreal on Thursday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

The Warriors arrived at their Washington, D.C., hotel in the wee hours Monday morning, slept off a gut-wrenching loss in the mecca of basketball and took the court again later that night against the woeful Wizards in front of a half-empty arena.

It could have resulted in a one heck of an emotional hangover.

Instead, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and De’Anthony Melton all returned and led the way to a 125-117 win that snapped a season-long five-game losing streak for Golden State.

What it means

The win was Steve Kerr’s 600th in his career as a head coach.

Despite being delayed with the Warriors’ depleted roster, the 12th-year coach became the fourth-fastest to reach the milestone, trailing only Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Gregg Popovich.

Turning point

The Warriors pulled ahead for good toward the end of the first quarter.

The run happened to coincide with Porzingis entering the game for the first time.

Golden State struggled to separate from the lowly Wizards, leading 11-10 when the 7-foot-3 big man checked in at the 6:45 mark. Porzingis went on to lead the Warriors with 15 points before halftime as they opened a lead as wide as 17.

Trae Young, Porzingis’ onetime teammate, finished with 21 to match the Wizards’ top scorer and sank a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 54-52 shortly before intermission. They kept it within single digits for much of the second half, even though Young sat the entire fourth quarter.

But Washington was never able to recover from Porzingis’ initial stint.

MVP: Gui Santos

The Warriors’ ironman throughout this stretch of injuries shouldn’t be overlooked despite the returns of three of their key players. At this point, Santos has earned an important role no matter who is on the floor. The do-it-all wing trailed only Melton and Porzingis in the scoring column with 18 points and led Golden State with a game-best plus-20 in 28 minutes.

Stat of the game: 62 points from players previously unavailable

The fact that the Warriors battled the Knicks so closely only looks more admirable when looking at what they were playing without. Porzingis led all scorers with 30 points in 25 minutes, Melton followed with 27 and while Green (five points) didn’t make much of an impact on the scoreboard, he led Golden State with eight rebounds and seven assists.

Up next

The Porzingis reunion tour makes its next step in Boston, when the Warriors visit the Celtics on Wednesday. Before they return home, Porzingis will have visited all five of his former teams.

When the Nets finally committed to tank, it was planned to be a shorter process rather than long. 

That was 2024, and everybody knows the saying about the best-laid plans. 

Multiple league sources told The Post that the idea remains the same: The Nets intend to flip the switch and try to compete as soon as next season. 

Just how aggressive their rebuild is, and exactly what it looks like, is going to be determined by four or five touch points over the next 18 months. 

How the Nets rookies develop, what kind of lottery luck they get, what happens in the upcoming playoffs, if a star becomes available and free agency will all play roles in shaping how Brooklyn’s rebuild goes. 

“Yes, it’s all of the above,” a source told The Post. “There’s going to be like five touch points where you go OK, where’s the team.” 

This draft is loaded, and the Nets will be in the lottery; the 2027 free agent class could be stacked, and they’ll have flexibility. Whether they become aggressive this summer, next summer or the trade deadline in-between remains unclear. 

What’s crystal clear is they expect to compete sooner rather than later. 

Think months, not years. 

Now, there is a huge gap between the Nets and, say, the reigning champion Thunder, whom they host Wednesday. The play-in is a viable holistic goal next year, but circumstances will determine when they ante up for a star. 

Like the lyric says, there’s levels to this. And Brooklyn is just trying to climb up from the bottom one next season, rather than wallow in the basement for the better part of a decade, piling up lottery pick after lottery pick. 

Charlotte was in the lottery for nine consecutive years before breaking through. The Pistons are atop the East, but tanked for five straight years — averaging just 18.8 wins from 2019-24 — to accumulate elite talent like Cade Cunningham. 

The Nets don’t plan to tank anywhere near that long. But like we said, mice and men… 

With Brooklyn not having control of its own first-round pick in 2027, they’re no longer incentivized to lose. They’ll try to emulate shorter tanks like OKC — but that’s easier said than done, with no Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to build around. 

“Our wins are not just the ones you see in the standings, and we’ve had that clear from the beginning,” said Jordi Fernández. “I know at times it may sound foreign for other people, but we have a plan. We know what we’re doing, and we’re confident that we’re going to be good for a long time. It’s just [that] it’s a process.” 

There are a number of touch points that will steer that process. One highly-placed source suggested five. 

Not in terms of importance but timeline. They could break down as follows: 

Judging the rookie’s growth. From Egor Dëmin’s driving to Ben Saraf’s jumper to Danny Wolf’s finishing, their development must be evaluated. 

“Right now we have this opportunity in front of us. These guys will play,” said Fernández. “We’ll have these different lineups to see what we have with particular players.” 

“[The Nets] have a draft class underneath them,” a source told The Post. “How they develop will determine when [they] press go.” 

So will what kind of lottery luck the Nets get in May. They entered Monday third in the lottery odds; finishing there could see them pick anywhere from first to seventh, with a drop-off after Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer. 

Even though the Nets are nowhere near the playoffs, the postseason will shape their offseason. Underachieving can elicit breakups, and make stars available. 

Sources told The Post that Brooklyn was interested in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell before entering their tank. If either became available — and the former is largely expected to — could the Nets circle back? 

“They’ll have conversations [about stars],” one league source told The Post. “They already had conversations; they just weren’t quite the right time.” 

Somewhere over the next 18 months should be the right time for Brooklyn. But circumstances will dictate when.

The Nets lost 114-95 to visiting Portland.

Brooklyn (17-51) solidified their hold on third in the lottery odds. They clawed within two games of Indiana and kept pace ½-game behind runnerup Washington. Besides resting Noah Clowney and Michael Porter Jr. missing a third straight game with a sprained ankle, the Nets kept the rest of their regulars on a short leash.

Two-way Chaney Johnson had a team-high 17 points and nine boards, pressed into playing backup center. Tyson Etienne and Ben Saraf each scored 15 points, the latter adding four assists and a career-high four steals.

“We didn’t come out with the kind of decisiveness to start the game,” said Danny Wolf. “And when you do that against a good team, you’re going to (lose). They’re going to open the door pretty quickly.”

Nolan Traore had just four points on 1-of-8 shooting, Jordi Fernandez admitting the point guard has hit the rookie wall.

“He looks exhausted,” Fernandez said.

The Atlanta Hawks were in action on Monday to face the Orlando Magic. No, it wasn’t the illustrious Magic City Monday that was canceled last week, but it was still a highly anticipated matchup between two of the hottest teams in the league.

The Hawks came in on a nine-game winning streak, while the Maguv were on a seven-game winning streak. The Hawks had a 2-0 advantage against the Magic coming into the game, but both teams looked completely different the last time they faced each other.

The Magic came in with a few injuries in this one, while the Hawks were fully healthy, as Jonathan Kuminga was available for this one.

The Hawks came out and were efficient, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, while holding the Magic to just 3-of-11 shooting. Nickeil Alexander-Walker started hot with eight points.

Dyson Daniels got to this loose ball and made a play out of it.

The Hawks had a nine-point lead in the first, but the Magic were able to trim their deficit as the quarter progressed. Jock Landale kept the Hawks afloat with a this three-pointer to extend their lead.

Alexander-Walker extended it to double digits with this three-pointer, plus the foul, to bring his point total to 14 in the first.

The Hawks went into the second leading 34-21.

CJ McCollum started the second quarter with a three-pointer to bring the Hawks’ lead back to double digits.

The Hawks maintained their lead throughout the second, even though the Magic made several attempts at a run. Kuminga made an impact in the second, getting to the rim for this bucket, plus the foul.

Alexander-Walker continued his hot half from the three-point line.

Johnson threw down this nasty dunk coming down the lane full speed.

The Hawks couldn’t be stopped toward the end of the half, and they led 67-50 going into halftme.

They continuedn their strong play to start the third, as Onyeka Okonwgu cleaned up this missed shot at the rim.

Alexander-Walker couldn’t stop making threes, and kept making them rain in the third.

The Hawks turned defense into offense on this play, and Zaccharie Risacher got an easy dunk in transtion. The Hawks led by as much as 29 points in the quarter.

Going into the fourth, the Hawks led 104-83.

The Magic started to make things happen to start the fourth, and a small run helped them get their deficit to under 20 points. The Hawks were able to stay afloat for the most part, but a few mistakes continued to drain their lead as the quarter went on.

If it was one player who could calm down the Hawks, it was Alexander-Walker, and he did so knocking down two three-pointers in a row to bring the Hawks’ lead back to 20.

The Magic waved the white flag early pullun all their starters, but the bench players went on a run to cut down their deficit to 12 points. The Hawks were able to stand tight through their run, and walked away with their 10th straight win.

Alexander-Walker finished with 41 points, Johnson finished with 24 points, 15 rebounds, and 13 assists, and Daniels finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Hawks will be back in action on Wednesday to face the Dallas Mavericks.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kawhi Leonard is out with a sprained left ankle as the Los Angeles Clippers chase a play-in berth.

He missed Monday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs after getting hurt in the fourth quarter of a 118-109 loss to Sacramento on Saturday.

Leonard is sixth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 28.3 points to go with 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He's shooting 50% from the floor, 38% from 3-point range and 90% from the free throw line in 53 games.

Leonard can’t afford to miss any more than three games to remain in contention for the league's major awards. Players are required to appear in at least 65 of 82 regular-season games to be eligible for MVP, All-NBA and All-Defensive honors.

Coach Tyronn Lue hopes Leonard isn't out more than a few days.

“I really don't know yet,” he said before the game.

John Collins was set to start in Leonard's place against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, who are second in the West.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba