First the Nets lost their coach, then they lost their composure.
Steve Nash was a late scratch for Monday night’s game due to health and safety protocols, and the Nets got drilled 133-97 by Toronto.
Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn led Brooklyn against the visiting Raptors, and will assume head-coaching duties until Nash eventually returns.
“It was pretty sudden for the group. Really happened as our preparation going into the locker room,” Vaughn said. “Tried to get the guys to focus on the game. Missed our head coach out there, but the thing is, we’ll get a chance to play again [Tuesday].”
The Nets didn’t get the news on Nash until roughly a half-hour before tipoff, after the coach had finished his pregame press conference and they were getting ready for warm-ups.
“Literally as we were doing our last prep to talk to the guys before going out, so no earlier than that,” Vaughn said.
Steve Nash Corey Sipkin/New York Post
Jacque Vaughn, filling in for Steve Nash, saw the Nets get handled by the Raptors on Monday. N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg“We found out right when there was 30 [minutes] on the clock,” Bruce Brown said. “It was tough when you lose your head coach, but this is the world we live in: You’ve gotta deal with these situations.”
It came a little over two months after the Nets had been hit hard by COVID back before the holidays, with 13 players going into protocol in total, and 10 missing at one time, forcing them to sign 10-day hardship exemption replacements.
The Nets had five different games either tweaked or moved altogether. They went a week without playing from Dec. 18 until Christmas, with three consecutive tilts canceled.
Vaughn served as interim coach after Brooklyn parted ways with predecessor Kenny Atkinson two seasons ago, leading the Nets in the Orlando bubble and into the playoffs. When Nash was hired, the 47-year-old Vaughn was retained as the defensive coordinator and lead assistant.
Patty Mills’ shooting slump continued, mustering just three points on 1 of 8 from the floor.
Andre Drummond was in pain after slipping on the court. N.Y. Post: Charles WenzelbergCenter Andre Drummond took a hard first-half fall and was down for awhile before getting up and heading to the bench. He had just three points and six boards in 16:01 in his quietest game as a Net.
“He ended up saying he was OK, so hopefully he’ll get seen by the staff again overnight and hopefully be OK for [Tuesday],” Vaughn said.
