NBA

Kidd benches starters as losing skid hits five

The $189 million Nets began the fourth quarter Sunday against the Pistons with Tyshawn Taylor, Alan Anderson, Tornike Shengelia, Mirza Teletovic and Mason Plumlee on the floor together.

And it wasn’t because they were down by 30 points, as they were when coach Jason Kidd trotted out the same five players to begin the fourth quarter in Minnesota Friday night.

Instead, it was a clear statement from Kidd the way his starters have been playing — and did play in getting blown out in yet another disastrous third quarter — isn’t going to cut it.

“They deserved to play,” Kidd said of the bench unit after his team lost 109-97 to Detroit, sending the Nets to their fifth straight loss and eighth in their last nine games. “I should have let them play the whole quarter. They’re playing, you know, for one another.

“It’s not perfect but that group gave us an opportunity [and] got it to eight, I think at one point, and so you got to tip your hat to those guys. Those guys are playing hard and they’re helping one another on the offense end and the defensive end.”

What was left unsaid by Kidd was the fact his veterans haven’t been doing that nearly enough this season, which — coupled with injuries to Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry — largely explains why the Nets now find themselves a staggering 3-10 through 13 games, only a half-game ahead of the Bucks for dead last in the pathetic Eastern Conference.

“That’s what he felt,” said Kevin Garnett, who made his first two shots but missed his next seven to finish with four points on 2-for-9 shooting and nine rebounds. “Whatever decision he’s going to make as far as who plays, it is what it is.

“We’re not carrying our weight, and obviously he’s going to put somebody in there who is.”

The Nets’ starting unit certainly didn’t carry its weight in the third quarter, when it once again allowed their opponent to steamroll them on their way to a victory. Detroit became the latest team to dominate the third against Brooklyn by outscoring the Nets 34-15 — including a stunning 20-0 on points in the paint and 9-0 on the fast break — while forcing the Nets to commit eight turnovers that led to 10 points for the Pistons (5-8). That sent the Nets into the fourth with a 78-66 deficit they never could climb out of.

“We have to be the worst team in the league when it comes to third quarters,” Garnett said. “It’s just unacceptable.”

Garnett is right. The Nets are the worst third-quarter team in the league, outscored by an average of 5.2 points in the third through 13 games.

The numbers are even worse in the Nets’ 10 losses, when they’ve been outscored by 96 points in the third quarter, including Detroit’s 19-point advantage Sunday.

“I have no clue, but it’s been repetitive and it’s kind of been the tale of our season, honestly,” said Joe Johnson, who finished with 34 points — his high as a Net — and a career-high eight 3-pointers as one of the few bright spots for the Nets Sunday. “No matter if we’re up, we’re down, we just get no lift in the third.”

Kidd’s message nearly paid off, as the reserves got the Nets back into the game behind nine fourth-quarter points from Teletovic, with a 3-pointer from Johnson with 3:19 remaining cutting the lead to 96-91.

But Rodney Stuckey, who torched the Nets for 27 points and six assists — he and Brandon Jennings, who had 14 points and 10 assists, becoming the latest quick guards to take advantage of playing the Nets — responded with a bucket at the other end that kicked off an 8-1 run to put the game away.

The Pistons also took advantage of the other ongoing Nets weakness, scoring in and defending the paint, by using their big-man combo of Greg Monroe (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Andre Drummond (nine points and 10 rebounds) to destroy the Nets inside. Detroit outscored Brooklyn 56-22 in the paint and outrebounded the Nets 44-35, continuing a trend apparent in each of the five games without Lopez.

Now the Nets have one day of practice before playing four games in five nights — including three on the road — with no apparent end to their struggles in sight.

“We should be winning all these games,” Andray Blatche said. “I don’t know. It’s very frustrating and very, very embarrassing. It’s like, I don’t know. We’ve got to play with more pride. I don’t know … there’s no excuses, nothing.

“We’re all just playing bad … and we’ve got to do something.”