Nets Fall in NBA’s Latest Power Rankings

The Brooklyn Nets previously had a rough week of basketball, going 1-3 in their last four games. After a win on Nov. 11 against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Nets dropped a home game to the Boston Celtics and then lost two in a row to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The result of this stretch was Brooklyn dropping in NBA.com’s Week 5 Power Rankings. Written by John Schumann, the Nets were ranked 18th in the NBA the previous week but got moved three spots down to No. 21.

The Nets now ranked 10th in offensive rating (114.3) but 26th in defensive rating (117.1), 20th in net rating (-2.8), and 30th in pace (96.3). Their team stats have taken a noticeable dip compared to the very start of the season.

“After allowing just 110 points per 100 possessions over their previous seven games, the Nets played three games against the league’s second and third-ranked offenses and allowed almost 132 per 100 as they lost all three,” Schumann wrote. “Overall, they’ve seen the league’s sixth-biggest jump in points allowed per 100 possessions from last season, though it should be noted that seven of their 14 games have now come against teams that currently rank in the top seven offensively.”

The Nets have played good competition, and have even pulled off some noticeable wins against the Milwaukee Bucks and Memphis Grizzlies. In recent games, they’ve also kept it close with the Celtics and Denver Nuggets.

The drop was expected, though. Brooklyn is supposed to be a rebuilding team, and these losses will help them in the long run. It’s a positive that the team is still competing and keeping scores closer than expected.

Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.