Alize Johnson seizes his big chance as short handed Nets get blown out by Jazz,

The odds were stacked against the shorthanded Nets.

Without James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin, the Nets suffered a blowout loss to the Jazz, 118-88 in Salt Lake City. With the loss, Brooklyn falls to 30-15 on the season and sits 2.0 games back from the first seed Sixers. The loss also snaps the Nets franchise-record nine-game West Coast road winning streak.

“That’s a great team. The team with the best record in the league. We went out there severely under-manned and most importantly, they stuck together and played hard,” Nash said postgame.

“Defensively we’re pretty good. Maybe gave up too many threes but otherwise, did a lot of great things defensively. Just told them I’m proud of them. It was great to see some of those guys get some minutes, some opportunities, make some buckets, get some rebounds, stops and develop. Lots to be thankful for and we move on to Detroit.”

The Nets became the last NBA team to lose a game by 20 points or more.

Despite losing by 30 and trailing by 20+ for a majority of the contest, the game turned into a great opportunity for the role players … and no one seized the moment more than Alize Johnson who joined the team Wednesday morning.

Johnson signed a 10-day contract with Brooklyn Monday fresh off an impressive G League bubble campaign. He was easily the brightest spot in the loss. The 6’8” forward finished with a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals in 33 minutes of play.

“He was great,” Nash said postgame. “Stuffed the stat sheet, played good defense and gave us tons of energy. I don’t think he’s really played since the G League bubble so, heck of an effort from him. (I’m) proud of the way he played.”

The 24-year-old entered the game with 31 games of NBA experience split between two seasons with the Pacers. He became the first Net since 1979 with 20+ points and 15+ rebounds in a team debut. Calvin Natt (20 points and 19 rebounds) had his big game on October 12, 1979.

“Just prove to everyone that I belong here in the NBA,” Johnson said about the statement on his game postgame. “I put in a lot of hard work and I will continue to keep working and try to be the best player I can be.”

With the trade deadline approaching Thursday afternoon, the Nets can release Johnson to fill a roster spot if needed. But at the other end of the spectrum, Brooklyn can offer Johnson a second 10-day once the first one expires, assuming he survives the deadline … and the signing of players who get bought out.

“I’m just taking it day by day and trying to not think about that. Every time I get out there on the floor and get an opportunity, I try to play like it’s my last game,” Johnson said about the uncertainty of his future. “That’s how I’m approaching this thing and everything else will take care of itself.”

Chris Chiozza, who did not play in the last seven games prior to Wednesday, played well in the loss as the point guard logged 28 minutes and finished with 10 points and 11 assists in the win. The Nets two-way didn’t shoot the ball well however, going 4-of-16 overall and 2-of-9 from deep.

Reggie Perry, himself just back from the “bubble,” had 12 points and eight rebounds and shot 4-of-9 overall, including 2-of-4 from deep.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who started, finished with 14 points, five rebounds and one assist in 34 minutes as he works to get back in the rotation. Joe Harris got only five minutes of action in the first quarter before being rested for the remainder of the game while DeAndre Jordan scored four points in 12 minutes off the bench.

For Utah, Donovan Mitchell was the leading scorer as he finished with 27 points in 27 minutes followed by Mike Conley, who contributed 18 points in 25 minutes as the Jazz improves to 32-11 on the season, 17 in a row at home as the team holds down the No. 1 seed out West.

It certainly was a strange first quarter for the banged-up Nets. The Jazz was rolling early as Utah forged a 16-4 lead off a commanding 11-0 run as Steve Nash called an early timeout with 7:38 remaining in the first. While Utah certainly didn’t lay off the gas as the Jazz piled on their lead against the shorthanded Nets, ending the first with a 38-17 lead. The Nets ugly first resulted in the team shooting 25.0 percent overall and 18.2 percent from deep while recording three turnovers.

Nash and the Nets surely had their fun experimenting with lineups as all 10 active players saw first-quarter minutes. To close out the period, Brooklyn had Reggie Perry, who finished with 12 points in 28 minutes, DeAndre Jordan, and Nicolas Claxton, who finished with four points and three rebounds in 23 minutes, on the floor together.

Brooklyn regained their footing in the second while Utah lowered their effort and went cold, making their first field goal with 6:28 remaining. As the Nets held the Jazz scoreless for nearly six…