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Nash after 2nd straight loss to Cavs: Nets 'are not a defensive roster'

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash provided an honest assessment of his ball club after a second-straight loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers while pleading for his players to improve their defensive intensity.

"We just need to find a way to play harder," Nash said postgame on Friday, according to ESPN's Malika Andrews. "Dig deeper. We are not a defensive roster. We have to take more pride, contest more shots, fight, scrap, claw, and that's what I think is missing as much as anything schematic that we're breaking down."

Brooklyn surrendered 134 combined points in the paint in both losses to Cleveland, marking the highest total the Nets have allowed in a two-game span over the past 25 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Brooklyn is also giving up the fourth-most points to opponents per game (116.4) through 17 contests.

The Nets struggling to control the paint can partially be linked to their lack of center depth. After trading Jarrett Allen to the Cavs as part of the James Harden blockbuster, Brooklyn only has one true center remaining on its roster in DeAndre Jordan. The 32-year-old found it difficult to contain both Allen and Andre Drummond in the defeats.

The Nets (9-8) are now 2-2 since acquiring Harden from the Houston Rockets. Brooklyn looks to get back on track against the Miami Heat in the second matchup of a back-to-back Saturday night.

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