Nets eager for Western swing

In a way, the Nets are eager to take a trek to the West Coast that begins Wednesday, wishful it’ll aid in curing their ills. Although they’ve come up short in each of their three appearances on the road so far, Paul Pierce believes this three-game swing through Sacramento, Phoenix and Los Angeles could be a positive step in expediting the jelling process.

Given they’re a work in progress, navigating their way through some hostile road environments would do wonders for their sagging confidence.

“We are still trying to figure out what we are going to be doing down the stretch,” Pierce said after Saturday's 96-91 loss to the Pacers. “As you’ve seen the last couple of days, we‘re still experimenting with different lineups. So once we get down to a lineup where we feel like this is a lineup that can close games out, I think the chemistry will definitely develop. It’s hard sometimes when you have different injuries, guys being in and out since the preseason, to try to get that consistency. But it’s a long season. We don’t to pile up the losses right now, but I definitely know we’ll figure everything out.

“Maybe going out West will be good for us. Sometimes they say when you take a trip, guys are all together, you seem to come together. I’ve been on a lot of teams where we’ve done that."

That would suit Deron Williams & Co. just fine. Sure, it’s early. But there’s only so defeats one can take before it starts eating at the psyche.

“We’ve got to come together soon,” Williams said. “I don’t want it to seem like we are content with losing because we are not. But at the same time, we’ve got to figure it out soon. Hopefully, we can go on the road and this trip will be very productive for us.”