Nets' struggles continue after blowout loss to Trail Blazers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Toumani Camara had career highs of nine three-pointers and 35 points to help Portland beat the Brooklyn Nets 134-99 on Monday night, the Trail Blazers’ largest margin of victory this season.

The Nets have lost eight straight and 18 of the last 20. Brooklyn (17-55) is a game behind Indiana (16-56) and a half-game behind Washington (16-55) for the best draft lottery odds.

Camara made 10 of 12 shots from the field. Deni Avdija scored 18 points and Scoot Henderson had 13 points, five assists and four steals for the Trail Blazers. Donovan Clingan finished with 15 rebounds, seven points and seven blocks.

Camara, who was featured on commemorative glassware as part of a Trail Blazers’ giveaway, banked in his first three-pointer off the glass and hit his first eight three-point shots, going 9 for 11 from distance.

Tyson Etienne led the Nets with 18 points, Ziaire Williams added 16 and Josh Minott 15.

Murray converted a three-point play with 4:48 left in the first quarter that gave the Trail Blazers the lead for good and sparked a 13-2 run that made it 28-18. Ben Saraf converted two free throws that made it a three-point game with 4.7 seconds left, but Jrue Holiday answered with a layup three seconds later and Portland scored 11 of the first 12 points in the second quarter. The Nets trailed by at least nine points the rest of the way.

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Robert Williams III (knee-injury management) did not play and Jerami Grant (foot soreness) missed his second consecutive game for the Trail Blazers.

Danny Wolf (ankle), Drake Powell (knee-injury management), Terance Mann (rest), and Noah Clowney (right wrist sprain) did not play for the Nets. Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring) missed his seventh straight game.

Up next

Nets: At Golden State on Wednesday.

Trail Blazers: Host Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Australia is temporarily lowering standards for diesel to allow more supply into the domestic market as service stations across the country continue to experience localised shortages.

Pep Guardiola didn’t just build a winning team at Manchester City during his time as manager of the club. Guardiola has reshaped how modern football understands control. Since arriving in 2016, Pep Guardiola has turned City into one of the most dominant teams in the game. His philosophy is simple but powerful: control the ball, dominate space, and dictate the tempo.

By keeping possession and carefully managing movement on the pitch, City dictates how matches unfold. Opponents are forced to react while Guardiola’s team stays in command. Over time, this idea of control has become the City’s greatest weapon, powering their consistency, dominance, and success across competitions.

Calculated decisions and probability thinking in competitive environments.

High-level competition is rarely about luck. Whether in professional sports or other strategy-driven environments, success often comes down to making the right decisions at the right moment. The best teams and players understand how to balance risk and control, thinking several steps ahead before making a move.

In football, managers constantly weigh options. They decide when to attack, when to slow the game down, and when to take a calculated risk. This type of decision-making requires discipline, patience, and a clear understanding of how each choice affects the flow of the match.

Similar patterns of strategic thinking appear in other competitive environments where outcomes depend on probability and timing. You can see this in probability-based settings like online blackjack at Jackpot City Casino, where players rely on discipline, timing, and an understanding of odds to guide their decisions.

Pep Guardiola’s teams operate in a comparable way. While Manchester City is known for its fluid style and creativity, every movement on the pitch is carefully planned. Players are trained to read situations, maintain possession, and select passes that preserve control rather than forcing risky plays.

That balance between patience and precision is central to Guardiola’s philosophy. Winning consistently is not about relying on instinct alone. It comes from making informed decisions while managing risk and maintaining control of the game.

Possession as a tool for control, not just dominance.

For Pep Guardiola, possession has never been about keeping the ball for appearance alone. His philosophy is simple: if your team has the ball, the opponent cannot score. That principle has become a core part of how Manchester City controls matches.

By maintaining long spells of possession, City limits the number of opportunities its opponents can create. Instead of constantly defending, they move the ball through short passes and intelligent positioning. This forces opposing teams to chase the game, often draining their energy over time.

Possession also allows City to dictate the rhythm of a match. The team can slow the tempo to remain organised, or accelerate when space opens in their opponents defence. In this way, possession becomes both an attacking and defensive tool.

Under Guardiola, the ball is not simply something to hold. It is the key to controlling space, tempo, and ultimately the direction of the match.

Mastering space: Positioning and movement.

One of the key ideas behind Pep Guardiola’s success is positional play, often referred to as Juego de Posición. The concept is straightforward: every player understands the space they should occupy on the pitch. Instead of chasing the ball, players focus on maintaining their position to preserve the team’s structure.

At Manchester City, players spread across clearly defined zones to stretch the opponent’s defensive line. This spacing creates passing lanes and helps the team move the ball quickly across the pitch. It also allows players to form passing triangles, giving the player in possession multiple options and making it harder for defenders to close down space.

Another advantage is the creation of overload situations, in which City positions more players than the opponent in certain areas of the pitch. This makes it easier to maintain possession and progress forward. For this system to function effectively, every player must read the game well, think quickly, and understand their role within the team’s structure.

Tempo management: Dictating the rhythm of the game.

Controlling the tempo of a match is another important part of how Pep Guardiola organises his teams. At Manchester City, the objective is not always to play quickly. The objective is to play at the correct speed for the situation. This concept is something this season’s Manchester City side is still learning.

Sometimes City slows the game with patient passing to maintain their shape and control. This forces opponents to chase the ball, gradually pulling them out of position. At other times, the team suddenly increases the pace, moving the ball rapidly into spaces that appear in the defence.

Midfielders play a major role in this process. Players like Kevin De Bruyne during his time at Manchester City, and now Rodri and Bernardo Silva often determine when to slow the game or increase the tempo. Their passing range, vision, and awareness help the team maintain the match’s rhythm. Rayan Cherki has quickly picked up this principle in his first season at the club.

By shifting tempo at the right moments, City can destabilise opponents and create scoring opportunities while still keeping overall control of the match.

Tactical flexibility within a controlled system.

One reason Pep Guardiola has remained so successful is his ability to adapt while preserving control of the game. At Manchester City, formations may appear different from match to match, or in game, but the core principles of structure and positioning remain consistent.

A clear example is the use of inverted full-backs. Instead of remaining wide, these defenders move into midfield during possession. This provides additional passing options and helps the team control the centre of the pitch. Guardiola also encourages players to adopt fluid positional responsibilities, rotating roles when situations demand it.

These rotations can confuse defenders because opponents often struggle to track who is marking whom. Even as players change positions, the team preserves its overall structure and balance. This is the key to Guardiola’s tactical flexibility. When the system shifts during a match, the underlying structure remains organised, allowing City to adapt without losing control.

An example of this occurred during Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final. At halftime, Pep Guardiola shifted Rayan Cherki to the right with Antoine Semenyo. This tactical move got Cherki on the ball more often and in spaces where the French international typically thrives. This unbalanced Arsenal’s defence and it was no coincidence that both of Manchester City’s goals at Wembley originated from the right hand side.

Control is the real trophy.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City demonstrates that true dominance comes from control. By mastering possession, space, tempo, and disciplined decision making, City shapes how every match unfolds. It is not simply about talent. It is about structure, patience, and precision. In Guardiola’s system, control is not just a tactic. It is the foundation of winning football.

As the Premier League has evolved this season, Pep Guardiola is determined to overcome the challenges of man-to-man marking and the physical challenges through his style of play. Guardiola will tweak his tactics but the core of the football that Manchester City play remains true to Guardiola’s principles. This City side is still learning those principles, but you do feel that next season they will be even stronger if Pep Guardiola remains as Manchester City manager to continue to paint his masterpiece.

Moses Moody with a gruesome non contact injury in the clutch, after stealing the ball from Cooper Flagg and about to scores the easy 2.

With replays

He is taken out on a stretcher

NBC broadcast pic.twitter.com/UW8OjOBrRo

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) March 24, 2026

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