Sundays are often spent lounging around or relaxing in some capacity. The Brooklyn Nets took a different approach this afternoon.
In their matinee contest against the San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn came ready to run, pressure, and give the home fans anything but the easy win they surely expected. The Nets forced San Antonio into seven first quarter turnovers, trapping everything and turning a handful of possessions into slams at the other end. Sometimes they even ended them before they got started…
At the other end, Cam Thomas picked up right where he left off. His teammates reminded him to be aggressive after Brooklyn’s bout with Cleveland on Friday night, and that message seemed to stick with him, dropping in 11 points on 5-9 shooting in the first. He went on to finish with 40 points, pulling himself into a tie with Kevin Durant for the third most 40-pieces in Nets history.
“I just liked his engagement, his communication with his teammates, and everything else,” Jordi Fernández said postgame. “That’s the CT we need. When he’s engaged and he’s asking his teammates to be in the right spot, if he’s asking to run A, B, and C, that’s what we need.”
However, Keldon Johnson had a similar mindset, matching Thomas’ first quarter scoring to put the Spurs up 31-24 heading into the second frame. There, Victor Wembanyama made his presence known. It feels odd having not mentioned his name yet, and the Nets were fortunate for us to get this far without doing so.
The French phenom added 15 points in the second to lift San Antonio’s lead to 21 at halftime. In an early season where his increased paint touches have already been a hot topic, he reminded us once more just how versatile he is, sinking two triples in the process.
“He’s great player,” Thomas said postgame. “So, you know, he commands a lot of attention. I think we did a good job. When he gets the ball in certain areas of the paint, there’s really nothing we can do, we’re all selling out, then they’re getting wide open threes. So, I mean, other than that, I don’t think we really had trouble.”
Wembanyama’s game proved more impactful at the other end. He made erasing shots like you would on a Nerf hoop a habit…or sometimes just scared visitors out of the paint with his mere presence. Michael Porter Jr. did beat him off the dribble once, but outside of that, he looked like the Defense Player of the Year candidate we expect him to be. Wemby finished with 31 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, six blocks, and three steals.
MPJ had a dozen at halftime, shooting 4-8 from the field and 3-5 from deep. Thomas, who had 21 by that point, needed help in more ways than one. He and Porter Jr. were the only ones with more than eight points by the break, as Ben Saraf, Egor Dëmin, and Ziaire Williams were scoreless at the break. He also got cut on his face at one point and needed Jalen Wilson to start the second half in his place.
Thomas landed on the injury report yesterday with a nasal fraction, but was always available for today’s game.
“Just part of the game,” he said. “You know, getting my ass beat out there, but it’s all good.”
He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Not long after CT re-entered the game, Williams went back to the locker room after falling hard on back following a block attempt. He did not return to the game.
Alas, you wouldn’t have known the Nets were down at man by looking at them. Brooklyn’s defense locked in down the stretch of the third, keeping San Antonio scoreless for over five minutes of play. With Thomas’s 29th and 30th points of the day, he cut the lead to nine with 3:10 left in the period. The Nets then carried a 14-4 run into the fourth quarter, which gave them the lead with 10:08 to go. Jalen Wilson made strong contributions off the bench after not playing on Friday. He finished the game with nine points going 3-4 from deep.
“I just give them credit for keep shooting them and then finding that rhythm,” Fernández said. “So, extremely proud. CT, I mean, first game, broken nose. Second game, he’s got stitches. JWill, he gets called, he’s ready to go. He helps make a run. Day Day, 15 minutes and +15 like. Everybody did a great job. They stayed together, and that’s who we want to be moving forward.”
Brooklyn got up by as many as five, but went not further. Over the summer, it hurt when the NBA Draft lottery put the Brooklyn Nets out of position to select Dylan Harper, who played his college ball in their backyard. Then, it hurt again today, as Harper largely contributed to San Antonio’s retaking of the lead and closeout efforts.
After checking in with 7:42 to play, Harper generated a quick six points finding his teammates and finishing a few possessions off himself.
Cam Thomas tried to keep Brooklyn in it the best way he knows how…
However, San Antonio looked more made for the clutch. They hit their shots when it mattered most. Thomas and Mann each got high percentage looks with a chance to reapply some late pressure, but failed to find nylon. A Devin Vassell scoop and score with 57 seconds remaining made it an eight point game and essentially ended Brooklyn’s pursuit of their first win.
Jordi Fernández picked up a technical foul in the game’s waining moments, unhappy with an uncalled moving screen against Noah Clowney.
“Just the frustration of them getting 12 free throws and us getting two,” Fernández said. “My guys need to see that I’m fighting for them. The officials need to see that whether we have young guys or whoever we play with, we’re going to keep fighting. And that’s who we are. And right there, it’s just in a statement. Wherever we go, play at home, play on the road, we’re going to fight and fight against everybody.”
It was a fitting end to a gritty performance that reminded you how unforgiving the basketball gods can be sometimes, no matter your fight, whether it’s with late swing plays or lottery luck.
Final:, San Antonio Spurs 117, Brooklyn Nets 107
Jordi Fernández called Williams’ injury a back contusion postgame and said they’d “see how he feels.” We’ll provide updates when we can.
Going back to Thomas’ nasal fracture, he also added postgame that he considered wearing a mask, but ultimately decided not to when the team told him it wouldn’t be completely necessary. He got three stitches after his cut today and also had some ice on his hand postgame. Regardless, he said he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.
Brian Lewis also shared the following update on Drake Powell, who appears to be progressing well since twisting his ankle in the season opener.
Getty Images
The Nets will stay on the road this week to face old friend Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets on Monday evening. It’ll be the latter half of Brooklyn’s first back-t0-back of the season. They split their series with with them last year.