Surging Nets know they have to start games better with tough tests ahead

The Nets are riding a season-high six-game winning streak. They have, however, made the last few victories harder than they should’ve been — and they’re about to get even tougher.

The good news for the Nets (19-12) is their two biggest comeback victories of the season came in the last two games. They rallied from 18 points down to win Friday night at Toronto and they stormed back from a 19-point hole for a stunning victory Sunday at Detroit.

The bad news is just as obvious. Trailing a pair of losing teams (the Raptors have dropped six in a row, and the Pistons are in the Eastern Conference cellar) by a combined 37 points isn’t ideal.

The competition will get stiffer starting Wednesday night against the visiting Warriors. And the Nets, who have won 10 of their past 11 games, know they’ll need to be more focused out of the gate than they have been.

“Definitely. It’s a big challenge for us. So I think we’ve got to raise our level of play,” Royce O’Neale said. “The way we’ve been playing sometimes, you know, can’t come out with lack of energy or [focus]. We’ve got to set the tone from the jump and then we’ve just got to execute and control the whole game.”

Coach Jacque Vaughn doesn’t plan to shake up any practice or pregame routines, but he readily acknowledges it’s a bad habit they need to shake quickly.

“[There] definitely has to be an increased level of focus and readiness,” Vaughn said. “You don’t want to go into a game and dig yourself into a hole like we had the last two games, double digits, because there might not be any digging your way out of those. Overall [we’re a] healthy group and look forward to seeing game by game … what that brings.

“It’s the same group that starts that game that ends up having really good third quarters to put us back in the game. So it’s a concentration level. Let’s be focused. Let’s be professional, let’s be ready to play, whatever team, what guys are in front of us. So I told those guys after the game they need to challenge, which I understand. They challenge themselves those two games that dig a hole and dig out of it, but we don’t want to do that too often.”

Since making his return to the court this month, veteran T.J. Warren has come off the bench and tried to help turn around several of the Nets’ slow starts.

“It’s a game of runs, so guys come out, just knowing when you come into the game what they’re lacking in and try to provide that energy and that spark,” said Warren, adding philosophically, “We’re going to have slow starts; it’s a long season. Guys are going to have good starts, too. It’s a long season.”

True. But they won’t be able to afford slow starts over the next week as they have the past couple of games, because they won’t be able to overcome them as easily.

The Warriors may not be their usual dominant selves. They’re playing without superstar Stephen Curry and were just 15-16 going into their game Tuesday night against the Knicks at the Garden. But the defending champions still have Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. The Bucks — who won the title in 2021, and currently lead the Eastern Conference — come in to face the Nets on Friday.

Then comes a three-game road trip, which will tip off Monday at the third-seeded Cavaliers, which the Nets trail by 1 ¹/₂ games. Cleveland tops the league in Basketball Reference’s simple rating system.

“I mean, every game is exciting. You know, it’s going to be a good challenge for us,” O’Neale said. “Two big games coming up. Take them one game at a time and just be ourselves.”