Undermanned (and 0-7) Nets head to Houston

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- As the Nets travel to Houston, they're faced with a puzzle with no reasonable answer: How do you beat a team that's won four in a row with the same squad of guys that has lost the first seven games of the season?

The question, in one form or another, was posed to the Nets' two point guards, Jarrett Jack and backup Shane Larkin. It's one coach Lionel Hollins has had plenty of time to think about in the last three days. And the answer . . . ?

"We've actually been practicing small ball now and just trying to get more comfortable with each other and just figure it out,'' Larkin said. "We're all we've got right now.''

Going into Wednesday night, the Nets were last in the league in points per game, scoring only 90.4, last in three-point percentage (23.6), and second to last in offensive efficiency. Proven three-point shooters -- Joe Johnson in particular -- are struggling to get open shots from behind the arc and Jack is struggling at the point, committing an average of 3.2 turnovers per game, including five against the Bucks on Saturday. That was also a game where he had only two assists.

Jack echoed Larkin's comment that somehow, they're going to have to figure out how to play with what they've got, and indicated the team hasn't quite jelled yet.

"It's tough,'' he said. "We have a lot of new faces getting used to the new system, the language, and just understanding where to be in certain instances. We've had some time to come together and I think it's up to us and me as a point guard to make sure we're hitting the learning curve . . . At the end of the day, we've got to come through and knock down shots.''

Hollins, though, doesn't see the answer in Jack alone. It's easy to lay blame at the feet of the point guard, he said, when really, Jack's struggles are just symptoms of a larger issue.

"It's not just the point guard,'' he said. "You can't put anything on the point guard and say if they had done this and if they had done that, we'd be more consistent because everybody makes turnovers, everybody is breaking down and taking quick shots and doing things that make us inconsistent. It's more team oriented.''

One of the most important aspects is just not panicking, Jack said. Even if, at this juncture, there are no real answers as to how to turn this season around.

You have to "understand that it's early and try to tackle the next challenge at hand, and for us, it's a tough Houston team that plays well in their building,'' he said.

Putting together four consistent quarters has eluded them, Larkin said, and they'll need to figure out how to fix that, too.

"I don't really know [how to fix it], to tell you the truth,'' he said. "We've just got to go out there and stay focused.''

Notes & quotes: Brook Lopez (back) participated in the non-contact part of practice but "watched on the sidelines'' for the remainder, Hollins said. Lopez suffered a scare on Saturday when he appeared to reinjure his foot. X-rays came back negative, but Lopez then suffered back spasms that kept him out of practice Monday. Hollins said he was unsure if Lopez would be ready to play Wednesday night.

By Laura Albanese

laura.albanese@newsday.com@AlbaneseLaura

Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.