Jarvis Hayes said there were no moral victories last night after the Nets fell to 4-42 with an 83-79 loss to the 76ers.
That’s the right attitude, but hidden beneath the debris of another crushing defeat in front of 11,576 at Izod Center (where the Nets are 3-19), was Hayes’ best performance of the season.
Hayes set season highs with 18 points and eight rebounds in 22:38 off the bench. His shooting was the main reason the Nets stayed in the game despite a disastrous third quarter in which they scored just 12 points.
“We played hard but we still got the L,” Hayes said. “We can take bits and pieces of it and try to translate it into practice and to the next game but it doesn’t feel any better.”
Hayes was 7-for-13 from the field and 4-for-8 from downtown, a display that reminded Nets fans just how valuable he can be at times and partially made up for not having Devin Harris (wrist) in the lineup.
Hayes averaged 8.7 points and 3.6 rebounds last season, and was expected to play a crucial role off the bench this year before he tore his hamstring on opening night in Minnesota.
Hayes had been limited since returning Jan. 5, but last night he shot so well that interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe called a play specifically to get Hayes a shot in the game’s final moments.
Trailing 80-77 with 22.1 seconds left, Vandeweghe called for a play he later described as “a little tricky, that we weren’t quite familiar with,” and Hayes forced a 3-point attempt from the right wing with Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala in his face. The shot missed.
“They defended it pretty well,” Hayes said. “The chances of that shot going in are slim and none, but I had to take it.”
Though the play failed, it was proof of Vandeweghe’s confidence in Hayes.
“He came to play on both ends of the court,” Vandeweghe said.