It was a close game for about 33 minutes: the Nets controlled the paint behind Brook Lopez, their wing players were able to create shots inside for themselves and others, the frontcourt put in big, quality minutes, and it looked like, at least for some time, the Nets would put up their best effort of the season yet.

But then Lopez, clearly exhausted, went to the locker room, never returning after suffering a sore right foot — the same foot Lopez has hurt time and time again, the same foot that’s had multiple surgeries. Young, limping after an awkward fall, sat out. Milwaukee’s long-range threats hit a flurry of three-pointers. And in what felt like a blink, a close game turned into another double-digit Nets deficit, and eventually turned into another loss.

The Nets are not a good three-point shooting team, or at the very least, they haven’t figured out how to become one yet. Tonight, there was some semblance of identity. This team can pack the paint on offense, trust their wings to pass the ball around and drive the lane until a crevice emerges, and hope their frontcourt can will them to victories. But there’s a ceiling on how effective a style like that can be, and right now, it’s 0 and 7. Without Brook Lopez, who knows when a win comes.