Depleted Nets drop third straight with loss to Pistons

The Nets look road-weary, and they haven’t even started their road trip yet.

The sagging, banged up Nets were barely competitive Wednesday night, falling to the Pistons, 113-98.

They trailed by double digits for the bulk of the second half and never led after a brief 32-31 edge with 10:00 left in the second quarter.

Noah Clowney did his part, scoring a career-high 29 on 9-for-20 shooting from the floor — including 5-for-11 from 3-point range and 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. No one else contributed more than 14 points.

The defeat is the third straight in a three-game homestand before the team embarks on a six-game road trip over 10 days — including two games scheduled in fire-ravaged L.A. next week.

The Nets are heavily depleted and played without four starters — Cam Thomas (hamstring), Cam Johnson (ankle), D’Angelo Russell (shin) and Ben Simmons (lower back management), as well as the recently hot Day’Ron Sharpe (illness).

They stayed within striking distance in the third quarter, the deficit bouncing mostly between 10 and 12 points before Detroit pulled away in the final frame, outscoring the Nets 32-21 as the arena emptied early.

“[I’m] very proud of this group. [They] keep fighting. Obviously, what we have to look at is what can we do better,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said after the loss. “Our shots at the rim got blocked and those are like turnovers. It just goes the other way. … So, it’s a learning process. I really like the fight. We knew that their physicality would be high. … Again, keep fighting until the end of the fourth quarter. That’s what’s important for me.”

The young Nets certainly competed, improving their numbers on the boards (38) against the Pistons (42) and their free-throw percentage (90.5) from the last meeting.

And they even found some glimmering hope to break the 10-point barrier during the third quarter. After a Johnson jumper and Clowney dunk off of a steal by Ziaire Williams from Tobias Harris, the Nets were within 70-64.

However, it was short-lived, as Cade Cunningham woke up after just five points in the first half, scoring eight in the frame. And following a layup from Harris, a Ronald Holland layup off a Williams turnover and jumper from Cunningham on consecutive possessions, the Pistons were back up by 12 points that only bled into their commanding 21-point lead to start the fourth, 91-70.

“A lot of transition points” said Clowney, who gained confidence from his performance but was unhappy with the outcome. “Those are the ones that hurt. Turnovers to a dunk. A bad miss to a dunk. A lot of transition attempts, things like that. They made their runs. They hit. We didn’t always hit back and that’s the outcome.”

The Nets never got within striking distance again due largely to the Pistons’ 36 fast break points.

The 15 turnovers for 20 points and a tough shooting night of 38.4 percent also kept things in Detroit’s favor.

After Clowney’s 29, the Nets were led by Nic Claxton with 14 points and Tosan Evbuomwan with 13. Tyrese Martin added a career-first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

“I liked his versatility. I liked his competitiveness, and he’s not second-guessing,” Fernandez said of Clowney’s performance. “He’s being aggressive. Proud of him. I still think he can even be better and that’s what we’re going to aim for.”

The Pistons were paced by Malik Beasley (23) followed by Simone Fontecchio (17) and Marcus Sassar (15) — both off the bench.

The first quarter saw just two lead changes while the Nets stayed within 10 points of the Pistons, pulling even at 23-23 after Clowney nailed a 3-pointer and two free throws from a flagrant 1 foul by Detroit’s Isaiah Stewart.

The Pistons reached a 14-point lead in the second quarter, but the Nets didn’t let them crawl too far away. After going scoreless for nearly five minutes, a Jalen Wilson layup, four points from Evbuomwan, and Reece Beekman jumper, the Nets were able to close the half within 10.

“I think the intention was there [to be physical],” Fernandez said. “I think our guys fought. Sometimes it’s easier said than done. … Those guys are playing against the best athletes in the world. And we should still be able to still set up, still go back door, to touch the paint, to do certain things. But, you have to walk the walk and that’s how you learn.”