This was the equivalent of a punt, passing on a chance to win a game against a better, more rested opponent.
Forget that the contest was a home game for the Nets at Barclays Center on Wednesday night.
That didn’t matter.
They chose to not only rest four key players, but hardly use the regulars that were available.
Jacque Vaughn and Co. treated this like an irrelevant exhibition game.
Mikal Bridges, Royce O’Neale and Cam Thomas didn’t log a second after the first quarter.
Spencer Dinwiddie (rest), Dorian Finney-Smith (left knee soreness), Cam Johnson (right knee sprain/injury maintenance) and Nic Claxton (left ankle sprain/injury maintenance) didn’t even suit up.
So, it was no surprise that the Nets fell to the Bucks, 144-122, a game in which the franchise higher-ups didn’t seem interested in competing.
Rest took precedence on what felt like an impromptu G-League night in Brooklyn.
“I’ve got to think short term and long term and make executive decisions for the betterment of the group,” Vaughn said. “So that’s where we’re at tonight.
Just being smart about what is presented in front of us.”
The Nets’ schedule is busy over the next week.
Wednesday started a stretch of five games in eight days, although before Tuesday night’s win over the Pistons, they had two off-days in a row.
Interestingly, the Nets don’t have a player among the league leaders in minutes played.
Bridges entered the game tied for 26th in minutes at 34.7.
The next highest Net was Dinwiddie at 70th at 31.9.
Seldom-used rookie Jalen Wilson led the Nets with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Smith Jr. had 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks while Khris Miiddleton added 27.
The Nets hung with the Bucks for most of the opening half, despite Vaughn’s sitting his regulars for almost the entirety of the second quarter.
The Bucks finally created some separation late in the half, fueled by a 10-2 run during which Middleton scored six points.
The Nets, though, responded and were within seven at the break.
Wilson scored nine of his 14 points in the second quarter and Noah Clowney added eight in the period.
The Nets won all the hustle stats over the first 24 minutes.
It was a whopping 40-16 edge in points in the paint in the half, 10-3 in second-chance points and 11-8 in transition points.
The Bucks, however, outscored them by 30 from 3-point land, hitting 11 triples compared to the Nets’ one.
Vaughn didn’t go back to his starters in the second half, keeping Bridges, O’Neale and Thomas on the bench.
That initially didn’t stop the Nets.
They briefly took the lead midway through the third period and outplayed the Bucks for large portions of the quarter, outhustling and outworking the title contenders.
Smith was particularly impressive in the quarter, dunking over Brook Lopez on one drive and notching eight points and four assists in the quarter.
But the Bucks closed well and took an eight-point edge into the final frame.
Soon, the lead was into double figures, and the Nets were on their way to their sixth loss in eight games.