National Basketball Association

Nets break ignominious record with 0-18 start

Published Dec. 3, 2009 5:33 a.m. ET

foxsports

All those losses in what's now the worst start in NBA history had already beaten down the New Jersey Nets.

So when the Dallas Mavericks hit them with a 49-point second quarter, the Nets simply had no fight left.

New Jersey was pounded into NBA infamy Wednesday night, falling 117-101 for its 18th straight loss to start the season.

"I think what happens is you know it wears on you," interim coach Tom Barrise said. "It's not a two-game losing streak. We play four games a week in this league and it's every day and every other day, and you know you hear it and you start to feel it a little bit."

The Mavericks made 17 of 19 shots and opened a 27-point lead in a nearly flawless second period, burying the Nets early in former New Jersey captain Jason Kidd's second trip back to his old home.

The Nets passed the 1988-89 Miami Heat and 1999 Los Angeles Clippers, who both dropped their first 17 games. New Jersey's next chance to end the streak comes Friday at home against Charlotte.

If the Nets defend the way they did Wednesday, the skid could last a while longer.

Dallas shot 81 percent in the first half, the first NBA team to make 80 percent of its shots in a half since the Denver Nuggets hit 82 percent against the Clippers on April 4, 2006, according to STATS, LLC.

"At this point, I feel the streak has definitely gotten the best of us. It's really not starting to get to us now," guard Chris Douglas-Roberts said. "So when a team goes on a run, we kind of, it's almost like we give up, which is really unfortunate but that's what it looks like to me. We kind of give up and just lay down instead of trying to fight."

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Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points and Kidd had 16 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Mavericks, who led by 31 points in the third quarter. Erick Dampier added 18 points and 11 boards, and Jason Terry also scored 18 points.

The Nets, the NBA's worst team in scoring and shooting, could only blame their defense this time, which gives new coach Kiki Vandeweghe something to address when he runs his first practice Thursday.

Vandeweghe, the Nets' general manager, replaced the fired Lawrence Frank and will coach the team the rest of the season - but not quite yet. Though his hiring was announced Tuesday, Vandeweghe won't coach his first game until Friday, leaving Barrise in charge one more time.

Vandeweghe handled the pregame coach's meeting with reporters, then sat in a seat above center court with Del Harris, the former Dallas assistant who will join him on the bench.

"Nobody likes to lose. Period. And obviously we made it clear and you all know this is a developmental year, but nobody expected to be 0-17," Vandeweghe said before the game. "That's just obviously not acceptable and I think that it's not acceptable to anybody and especially the players."

The longtime losers had their chances to avoid history. They led Minnesota by 19 in the third quarter on opening night before losing 95-93 on Damien Wilkins' putback at the buzzer, and lost 81-80 on Nov. 14 at Miami when Dwyane Wade made a 3-pointer with 0.1 seconds left.

New Jersey hung around for a quarter in this one. The Mavs shot 71 percent in the first period, but the Nets turned six Dallas turnovers into 11 points and fought their way to a 28-all tie.