NBA

With Blatche starting, Nets search for bench spark

When Brook Lopez went down with a sprained right foot, replacing him was more than a matter of plugging Andray Blatche into the starting lineup.

Because while Blatche has performed admirably in Lopez’s absence, including finishing with 22 points and 15 rebounds in last night’s 109-102 loss to the Warriors at Barclays Center, his departure from the second unit has left Nets coach Avery Johnson searching for answers.

“Our bench isn’t in a good rhythm,” Johnson said. “We haven’t made too many shots coming off the bench. There was a stretch in the beginning of the second quarter that we had too many turnovers.

“We need to analyze our rotations. We need more energy from our guys coming off the bench.”

After the Nets’ second unit, led by Joe Johnson, got a pair of 3-pointers from Jerry Stackhouse and Johnson to push the lead to 37-24 — their biggest lead of the night — the Warriors went on a 23-10 run over the next seven minutes to tie the game.

“It just seemed as though we made a substitution and, for whatever reason, they made a run,” said Joe Johnson, who finished with a season-high 32 points. As a unit, we can’t have that. We can’t have letdowns like that. When you get a team down, you’ve got to learn how to put them away.”

* Avery Johnson had said the plan was for Lopez to participate in at least part of yesterday’s morning shootaround. But after he didn’t, the coach said that it wasn’t a setback.

“No, we just wanted to treat him and [athletic trainer Tim Walsh] wanted to do some more stuff with him in the back,” Johnson said. “He will get some shots up today at some point.”

Now the plan is for Lopez, who did work out later in the day, to participate in at least some of today’s practice. He has missed four games since spraining his right foot — the same one he injured twice last season — in Boston on Nov. 28.