I thought the circus wasn’t supposed to be in Brooklyn until Thursday?

While the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey get set for nine straight performances at the Barclays Center, the Nets did the honorable thing and brought the home fans some of that Yakety Sax, no rules, slapstick entertainment early, but without any of the high-flying excitement a circus typically brings. Despite all the positives they displayed on Friday against the New York Knicks, the Nets just seem incapable of stringing two efforts together in the slightest.

The Nets matched their total turnover amount from Friday (7) in the first half alone as they were battered by offensive fouls from Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Thaddeus Young. In fact, Lopez had such bad luck on the foul side of things that he played just 13:25 before halftime. Without Lopez, the Nets were left to their own volition to score which, as we all know, can end up being a tad ugly.

Again, Yakety Sax — are you still with me?

Another stinker from the bench is always frustrating, but simply unacceptable with Lopez forced from the floor. Aside from a strong six minutes by Willie Reed, in his first minutes since January 26th, it was a flat effort from all sides. A 14-point deficit dwindled to just 4 before a Nic Batum buzzer-beater — but Johnson was a small saving grace for Brooklyn. With 13 points on 4-4 from the floor, he was the only factor keeping the floundering Nets afloat.

The second half brought much of the same: inefficient shooting, poor pick and roll defense, and the desire to pass right into Batum’s lengthy wingspan. However, perhaps in spite of all that, the Nets found themselves down just 13 thanks to Lopez’s contested heave from near mid-court to end the third quarter.

Alas, all that glitters is not gold, sorry, Smashmouth. Including Lopez’s prayer, Sloan, Johnson, Ellington, and Bogdanovic all hit one three-pointer each. That’s not enough to beat any professional basketball team, much less one with an above average defense and the advantage of Kemba Walker vs. Donald Sloan. Quickly, a tight game turned into double-digits and you know the rest by now.

5-22 from three. Yuck.

I’d suggest they spend some time listening to Smashmouth’s Astro Lounge on the plane ride out West. The 1999 hit All Star follows up the aforementioned glitter lyric with some sound advice:

Only shooting stars break the mold.

Against Charlotte, the Nets were not shooters, nor were they stars.

Enjoy the Yakety Sax, they’ve earned it tonight.