The Brooklyn Nets lost to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, but that didn’t stop them from etching their name into the history books.
The Nets got a historically low amount of production from their starting lineup in Thursday’s game, as the unit scored just 15 points in total.
That’s the lowest mark for any starting lineup in the NBA since 2008.
On the other end of the spectrum, Brooklyn’s bench was very productive on Thursday, dropping 98 points to help keep the game competitive.
The squad’s 98 bench points mark the most for any bench since such data became available several decades ago.
The Brooklyn Nets scored 98 bench points in a loss to the Bucks, the most since the NBA first started tracking starters/bench players in 1970-71.
The Nets' starting 5 scored 15 combined points, the fewest by a starting lineup since the Pistons combined for 13 on April 16, 2008. pic.twitter.com/MFQYzdqhev
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 10, 2023
Playoff records are typically not associated with regular season records, but NBA writer Tim Reynolds pointed out that the Toronto Raptors did score 100 bench points in a postseason game in 2020.
Brooklyn’s 15 points from a starting lineup tonight is the lowest in the NBA since 2008.
Its 98 bench points tonight are the most since Toronto’s bench scored 100 — vs. the Nets — in a bubble playoff game in 2020.
Most bench points in a regular season game since at least 1982.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) March 10, 2023
It was a bizarre night for the Nets, who are currently somewhere in the middle of a rebuild and postseason contention.
Brooklyn’s five starters only combined for about 62 minutes on Thursday, leaving the bulk of the playing time to the bench.
Mikal Bridges and Seth Curry were the only starters who scored for the Nets.
Bench players like Patty Mills (23 points), Cam Thomas (21 points), Dru Smith (17 points), and others helped carry the load.
In the end, the Nets came up five points short of an upset win over the Bucks, as Milwaukee walked away with a 118-113 victory.
Brooklyn is still in position to make the playoffs, so it’ll be interesting to see how the team manages its rotation for the remainder of the season.
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