Basketball Nets Show Heart in Tough Loss to Trail Blazers by Jason Goldstein February 24, 2016 (PORTLAND) –The Brooklyn Nets started off their circus road trip in disappointing fashion, dropping a 112-104 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. C.J. McCollum had 34 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Blazers, who have won six-straight games and 11 of their past 12. All-Star snub Damian Lillard also finished with 34 points, including 14-14 from the free throw line. He has scored 30-plus in five straight games. Brook Lopez had a monster game for the Nets (15-42), finishing with a season-high 36 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high four steals. This could’ve very well been a game the Nets could’ve mailed in, as Portland was all over them right from the jump. They were down by as many as 19 points before storming back to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Lopez played like a man possessed during the run, giving Brooklyn an 89-88 lead with 9:21 remaining. The game was tied at 101 with less than two minutes to play. Lillard and McCollum hit back-to-back 3-pointers in crunch time to put Portland up 107-101 and the Nets never recovered. Lillard sank four foul shots in the final 26.4 seconds to help put Brooklyn away. They have now lost three of their last four contests. Notes: Lopez tallied his fifth 30 point game of the season and second in his last three games. Rookie forward Chris McCullough dressed for the game but did not play. Former Net Mason Plumlee finished with 13 rebounds against his old team. Joe Johnson is now just three points away from scoring 19,000 in his career. He will be just the 52nd player in NBA history to accomplish the feat. Only nine other active players have reached that milestone. The Nets hit 42 losses with this latest setback, which guarantees them a losing record for the entire season. Brooklyn’s season-long road trip continues on Thursday night against the Phoenix Suns. Post Views: 1,148 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Jason Goldstein Jason Goldstein is a co host of the Baseline Jumper NBA podcast, recording every Tuesday night along Ben McDonald. Jason has also spent time as the Basketball Editor at DoubleGSports.com while also handling the Brooklyn Nets Lead Writer duties since October 2015. Latest posts by Jason Goldstein (see all) Will Weaver Named Head Coach of the Long Island Nets - July 17, 2018 Sean Marks sets up Nets for Future with more Brilliant Moves - July 13, 2018 Brooklyn Nets Strike Early in Free Agency - July 1, 2018 Nets land Dwight Howard in trade from Hornets - June 20, 2018 Related TopicsBrook LopezBrooklyn NetsC.J. McCollumChris McCulloughDamian LillardJoe JohnsonMason PlumleePortland Trail Blazers Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 Whoop Rewards Employees With $100 Each Month To Sleep by Inesh Chari | posted on March 22, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 27, 2021 More in Basketball You Know I’m Right, Episode 111: New York Giants’ Insider John Schmeelk (Audio/Video) On the 111th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 97: SNY’s Michelle Margaux (Audio/Video) On the 97th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined SNY’s... WNBA Rolling Out Red Carpet For Upcoming 25th Anniversary Season The WNBA’s 25th season also marks the debut of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Sean Marks Has Work Cut Out For Him With Brooklyn Nets Should Athletes Be On And Use Social Media