Even with out Cam Thomas and the posh of a wholesome heart, the Nets rallied from an early 17-point gap to beat the Charlotte Hornets 116-115 on Tuesday at Barclays Heart. A balanced scoring effort, fueled by a season-high 34 factors from veteran ahead Cam Johnson, was sufficient to outlast the unremitting guests down the stretch.
With the Nets clinging to a 109-108 lead with two minutes left, Trendon Watford, making his second look of the season off the bench, proceeded to attain seven straight factors to place them up 116-111 with 38.9 seconds left. It was a three-point sport with 5.5 second left, however a 3-pointer from Charlotte’s Brandon Miller fell brief as time expired. Watford led all Nets reserves with 10 factors within the win.
“Adrenaline was out the roof, honestly,” Watford stated.
“I had some mismatches that I noticed, and I just wanted to take advantage of, whether I was able to make them double me or whatever it was, but I just wanted to be aggressive and just make plays, and I’m glad [Coach] trusted me with that.”
In snapping a season-worst three sport shedding streak towards Charlotte, Brooklyn (6-9) earned its sixth win of the season and first of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. It’s now 1-1 in East Group A and can play its subsequent NBA Cup sport on Friday towards the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Heart.
“You don’t start right, but then you win the last two quarters, you give yourself a chance, and you win an important game,” head coach Jordi Fernandez stated. “Cup game, everything, great environment, fans, all that stuff, a really fun game.”
The short-handed Nets discovered themselves down 22-9 out of the gate. Charlotte went 8-of-12 from 3-point vary within the first quarter and had a 14-point lead coming into the second. That benefit swelled to 17 factors with 10:05 left within the first half.
However there was an excessive amount of basketball left to be performed. Fernandez’s Nets by no means stopped preventing, finally channeled higher effort at each ends of the courtroom and rallied. A Jalen Wilson trey with 1:42 left within the first half reduce Brooklyn’s deficit to 2, though they finally went into the locker room at halftime down 5.
Johnson led all scorers within the first half with 16 factors. After giving up 37 factors on a 68.4% clip within the first quarter, the Nets held Charlotte to simply 22 factors on a 32% clip within the second and outscored them by 9 factors.
“They know that the beginning was not good,” Fernandez stated. “Our physicality was not good. We were giving them too much cushion. Our ball pressure was poor, and then they were doing what they do best… They shoot the 3 very well, they shoot a lot of them, and they have very good shooters. And we got punished for not starting the right way. But then a lot of our guys bounced back, and that’s a good thing.”
Again-to-back makes from behind the arc from Wilson and Dorian Finney-Smith gave the Nets their first lead of the night time, 60-59, with 10:49 left within the third quarter. They saved pouring it on over the subsequent 4 minutes and constructed and 11-point lead, nevertheless it was solely non permanent separation, because the Hornets would rating 12 factors off six Brooklyn turnovers to take a two-point lead, 87-85, into the ultimate body.
With Thomas out, Watford stepped up because the nearer Brooklyn desperately wanted down the stretch. Miller led Charlotte with 29 factors and All-Star guard LaMelo Ball was restricted to 12 factors on 3-of-13 capturing.
All 5 of the Nets’ starters completed in double figures, together with Ben Simmons and Wilson, who scored 10 and 17 factors, respectively. Wilson, who went 5-of-8 from deep, set a brand new profession excessive for 3-pointers made in a sport.
“I was just shooting out there,” Wilson stated. “And then after the game, I realized I’ve probably never done that before. It was cool to do.”
And Johnson has been enjoying elite basketball as of late. His 34 factors on Tuesday have been essentially the most he has scored in a Nets uniform. After having simply six video games with a minimum of 20 factors final season, he already has six such video games throughout his first 15 appearances this season. Brooklyn additionally loved its fourth sport with a minimum of 30 assists (31) this season.
“We knew we’d have an opportunity to come back,” Johnson stated. “When that opportunity came, I think we were ready.”
Initially Printed: November 19, 2024 at 10:33 PM EST
