The Nets fell to the Dallas Mavericks 120-101 on Monday in the opening game of a three-game homestand. This fourth consecutive defeat brought their season record to 23-49 with 10 games left. Brooklyn never led despite shooting a respectable 51.3% for the game. It committed 19 turnovers, which gifted the Mavericks a whopping 31 points. Conversely, the Nets scored just 14 points off 11 Dallas turnovers. The Nets played without D’Angelo Russell, who missed his second straight game because of right ankle soreness. Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, Daniel Gafford and Olivier-Maxence Prosper were inactive for the Mavericks, but star big man Anthony Davis made his first start since Feb. 8. One possession late in the first quarter summed up Brooklyn’s night perfectly. Day’Ron Sharpe dribbled from the free throw line into a corner 3-pointer and missed the rim completely. As the shot clock ran down, Maxwell Lewis ran down the rebound and threw a pass to Noah Clowney, who was standing just a few steps inside halfcourt. Clowney hoisted a desperation shot so high it hit the shot clock, ending Brooklyn’s threat. The Nets trailed Dallas 29-15 at that point. It was a 62-48 game at halftime and a 96-77 game entering the final frame. The Mavericks shot better than 50% from the field in the first and second quarters and converted on 60.9% of their attempts in the third quarter. Brooklyn managed to cut its deficit to 13 points with 3:05 left, but that’s as close as it got down the stretch, as the Mavericks seemingly had an answer for anything it threw at them. The Nets have now lost six straight games to Dallas. Nic Claxton finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. Cam Johnson added 17 points and eight assists in 30 minutes. Naji Marshall paced the Mavericks with 22 points. Davis contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in his return to action. The Nets have a two-game lead on the Toronto Raptors for the fifth-best NBA Draft lottery odds with 10 games left. It will face Toronto Barclays Center on Wednesday, a game that could potentially lock up Top 6 lottery odds for them with a loss. ...read more read less