The Nets’ embarrassing 59-point win doesn’t change their plan

LOS ANGELES – Nothing good came from the Nets’ historic 126-67 win over the Clippers; There was nothing positive from Wednesday night, except that it was over on Thursday, like a bad dream.

More like a nightmare

But one they will move forward from, starting Friday at the Lakers.

It will hurt their pride, but not their plan.

“When you see a loss like that, a lot of things went wrong. “Obviously there was a lack of energy and competitive spirit,” said coach Jordi Fernandez. “It’s never a good experience to go through something like that. But if you look at the entire season, none of our guys can work for it. They have been competing all this time, so I can only support them. Of course, I have to own it and show up the next day and try to get better.

“I know we can be better. … I know our guys are competitors and fighters and are working to get better, and that’s what we’re going to do: just show up the next day.”

Not only was this 59-point loss the worst in franchise history, it was also the 10th-worst in NBA history.

But it came with Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson, Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell. And it only helped their lottery positioning, which is at the core of this rebuild.

Some have asked if their record could have an impact on the potential hunt for a star like Giannis Antetokounmpo?

First, the Bucks’ star could be the Nets’ white whale, but he hasn’t demanded a trade and it’s unknown if he wants the franchise anyway.

If a 30-year-old star wants to join a ready-made team, like Kevin Durant going to Phoenix or Paul George going to Philadelphia – the jury is still out on both since both win-now teams have losing records – this is it Nets not That.

But for a star who prefers bringing in teammates and having a blank canvas, the Nets fit the bill. They lead the NBA in cap space ($65 million) and assets (31 picks).

It’s unclear what fits Antetokounmpo.

The same would be true if De’Aaron Fox is off the table now that the Kings are winning again, or if the Nets and Durant – who have always liked Brooklyn but have lost faith in winning – were to consider a reunion.

Sources have told the Post that the Nets don’t have their eye on Jimmy Butler, but instead want enough room for not only a cap space, but also a rookie cap space – Jonathan Kuminga, perhaps.

They want options and are buying them by enduring a terrible, trying season.

“It was frustrating. “It’s been a frustrating year, both personally and with the team,” said Nic Claxton. “But you just have to keep grinding.”

“We have to put it behind us. We have a game (Friday) where we play the Lakers. We just have to go out there and compete and try to win,” Day’Ron Sharpe said. “We had guys (getting hurt), lost guys to injuries, had different lineups. … In the second half of the season, I just feel like we have to find a way to continue to play hard, give the teams a tough matchup every night, but get more Ws.”

Here’s the thing: victories were hard to come by. They become even more difficult.

While tank-happy fans lamented the Nets’ win in Portland, they are still just three games out of third place in the lottery standings.

And since December 27 – Dorian Finney-Smith’s pre-market swan song – they have lost nine points out of 11.

The Nets are starting to look like the team many expected at the start of the season.

Their best players could be in and out of the lineup in the future, and Johnson could be gone in less than three weeks, by the Feb. 6 trade deadline.

Johnson has missed eight games this season. The Nets are 0-8 without him.

The impact of the departures of Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder was clear.

The impact of moving Johnson would be just as obvious.

But what is the impact of a single loss in January, even if it was only by 59 points?

It will hurt their pride, but not their plan – whether that involves Antetokounmpo, Fox or anyone else.