Two years ago, San Antonio was the worst team in the West.
Today they’re the hottest team in the NBA.
Brooklyn had to draw hope from that, while the Spurs were dunking all over them.
The tanking Nets’ 126-110 loss to San Antonio Thursday before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center brought them a step closer to the kind of potential star they’ll need for a turnaround.
Victor Wembanyama had 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks, dominating on the defensive end.
Julian Champagnie added a game-high 26 points for the loaded Spurs, who put seven scorers in double figures before the end of the third quarter and cruised past Brooklyn.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 25 points and 14 boards — both team-highs. But they trailed by as much as 26, and weren’t on San Antonio’s level.
Or even the level below that.
“Winning matters and competing for games is extremely important,” said Jordi Fernández. “The record is what it is — we’re well aware of it and we don’t like it. But the players show up and work every day.
“Coming here and feeling like we can compete against anybody has to be important. If you’re up 10, you want to be up 20. If you’re down 20, you want to be down 10. We have to be competitive and understand this is a process.”
The process is about getting the best lottery odds in a generational draft.
Brooklyn (15-43) sits third in the lottery standings, three games behind first-place Sacramento (pending the Kings’ tilt vs. Dallas) and a game behind Indiana.
The Nets coughed up a 17-4 run that spanned from the end of the first quarter two minutes into the second. They never challenged after that.
Danny Wolf had 14 points off the bench, while lottery pick Egor Demin handed out a career-high nine assists while fellow rookie Nolan Traore added 13 points.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson — a former assistant who inherited the reins from Gregg Popovich last season — has seen the process of grooming young talent firsthand. But five simultaneously is unprecedented.
“It’s challenging. It’s hard to ask a 19-year-old to help another 19-year-old. It’s like asking a bunch of kids who’re just learning how to swim to make sure the other one doesn’t drown,” said Johnson. “So, you have to at times take a step back, give grace and be patient, because they’re learning what it takes to survive in this league, which is a lot; and you have multiple young players trying to do that.
“But it’s also very rewarding when you have the character and good young players, guys that are playing hard. And Jordi’s done a heck of a job and you see the competition.”
The Nets had a clean injury report, with Josh Minott making his debut after arriving at the trade deadline.
He went scoreless in five minutes.