The first game of a back-to-back on the road against the Sacramento Kings. Hours before the game, it was announced that veterans Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schroder were both ruled out due to injuries, meaning the Nets would be without two starters, both of whom are +61 in the 312 minutes they have been on the court this season. After a brutal loss against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without Joel Embiid and Paul George, it was expected that the Nets would start regressing after a hot start to the season. However, this Brooklyn Nets team is built differently compared to other seasons.
In the 1st half, the Nets were on an absolute heater from 3, shooting like they were the 2016 Golden State Warriors. The Nets shot 13-20 from 3PT, the most 3PT makes in a half this season. Sophomore Noah Clowney scored 14 points on 4-4 from 3PT, and Cam Thomas scored 22 points on 7-13 FG, helping the Nets build a massive 19-point lead early on. Defensively, both Ben Simmons and Nic Claxton did an excellent job containing both Domantas Sabonis and DeMar DeRozan, playing strong physical defense and forcing them into turnovers. Eventually, the Kings slowly crept their way back, as the Nets had no answers for De’Aaron Fox, who dropped 24 points on 7-9 FG in the first half, cutting the Nets' lead to 65-57 by halftime.
In the 2nd half, the Nets' hot shooting regressed as they shot 6-19 from 3PT. However, the Kings' lack of quality shooters showed, as they shot just 1-11 from 3PT. While the Nets made adjustments on Fox, the rest of the Kings stepped up, with DeRozan, Sabonis, and Murray combining for 35 points in the second half. Although the Kings' 3PT shooting was abysmal, their offensive rebounding was elite, out rebounding the Nets 44-31 for the entirety of the game. The Kings grabbed 11 offensive rebounds total, with 18 of those rebounds coming from Sabonis. Ultimately, the Nets' 3PT shooting in the first half was too much for the Kings to overcome, resulting in the Nets winning 108-103.
Notably, Cam Thomas had one of his most well-rounded games of the season, dropping 34 points and 6 assists on 11-22 FG, with only 1 turnover. In the previous game against the Sixers, Thomas had 7 assists, but the game was met with a lot of vitriol from the fanbase due to his 7 turnovers. Given Thomas’ age and lack of experience, it makes sense that he would have high-turnover games as he learns to be more of a passer. Tonight was proof of his ability to learn and improve, as he made the same pick-and-roll reads to Claxton and Simmons while finding open shooters without losing the ball. Thomas himself commented on this in his postgame interview.
All young players have growing pains, and growth isn’t always linear. It is important to be patient throughout the season and give Thomas, along with all the young players, plenty of room to grow without drawing long-term conclusions about them over a few bad games here and there. Tonight, Thomas showed his ability to score and pass, something that will hopefully continue to progress as the season unfolds.
Comentários