Dariq Whitehead

Since winning three road games in four days last week in Sacramento, Golden State, and Phoenix, the Nets have struggled. They lost their third contest in a row on Monday, falling by a score of 128-102 to the Bulls. It was a six-point game at the half before Chicago began to pull away in the third quarter, leaving head coach Jordi Fernandez upset about his team’s second-half performance, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“Losing a second half by 20, it’s not good enough. We have higher standards, the way we work, the way we play, the way we compete. And this was not good,” Fernandez said. “They scored 56 in the first half, and they scored 72 in the second half. So our defense was extremely bad. And our players know that our ball pressure has to be better, our competitiveness, our communication.

“In that second Orlando game (a 100-92 loss on Sunday), the first half of this game, I give the guys credit. You can lose, but that’s how you lose, and I was proud of them. This second half, this is not who we want to be. This is not our identity. It was pretty poor.”

As Lewis points out, it’s hard to blame the Nets too much for their underwhelming performance, given how banged up the team is. Starters Cam Thomas, Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons, and Cameron Johnson (who was a late scratch due to a left ankle sprain) were among eight Brooklyn players unavailable in Chicago. Still, Fernandez doesn’t view the club’s injury woes as an excuse for a disappointing effort.

“I’m going to go into every game believing that we have a chance to win,” Fernandez said. “I don’t care who’s playing. If they wear a Nets uniform, I’m going to go out there and believe that we’re going to fight, compete and we’re going to have a chance.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

• One player who wasn’t on Monday’s injury report was center Day’Ron Sharpe, who was making his season debut after missing the Nets’ first 21 games due to a hamstring injury. After recording just four points and two rebounds in 16 minutes of action, Sharpe said it “felt good to be back on the court,” but indicated he wasn’t happy with his performance, according to Lewis. “My second stint, I was tired, I’m not going to lie. But I’m getting my wind back. After that I thought I was good,” Sharpe said. “But me personally, I feel like I played (terribly). But that’s the first game, so just keep building from here.”
• Ziaire Williams missed his first game this season in Chicago due to what the team referred to as a left knee sprain. As Lewis relays, Fernandez’s comments on Monday suggested that Williams’ absence will likely extend beyond that. “Right now, we will have a better feel on how (Williams) reacts in the next few days to know exactly what that time frame is,” the Nets’ coach said.
• Given the opportunity to play a rotation role with so many players sidelined, Dariq Whitehead had the best game of his NBA career on Monday, knocking down six three-pointers and scoring 18 points. He’d scored three total points in his previous four NBA outings. Scott Mitchell of NetsDaily takes a look at Whitehead’s breakout game and explores how the guard’s time with the Long Island Nets helped build his confidence. “If I’m being completely honest, last year I just got drafted and was in the wrong mindset. I didn’t take playing in the G League the right way like I should have,” Whitehead said. “This year, I came into it with a clearer mind and want to be (in Long Island) and develop that leadership role.”