NEW YORK — The Brooklyn fillets (6-9) had been coming off a disappointing weekend towards the New York Knicks during which Brooklyn got here near successful one sport with out being significantly near successful the opposite. With the Nets attempting to make amends for the final two video games, they got here house to face the Charlotte Frelons (5-9) in NBA Cup group play they usually got here out shut.
THE Nets beat the Hornets 116-115 to maneuver to 1-1 of their group because of Cam Johnson’s 34 factors in a sport the place he was persistently good all through the competitors. Johnson acquired some assist and Jalen Wilson dropped 17 factors whereas Dorian Finney-Smith scored 15 factors.
Brooklyn entered this sport with out their main scorer, Cam Thomas, however the Nets had been capable of compensate for his absence by doing all the pieces as a collective unit. Listed here are three takeaways from the Nets’ victory over the Hornets within the Emirates NBA Cup:
Cam Johnson
Johnson has performed effectively all season and with out Thomas and Dennis Schroder, one might argue that Johnson has been the Nets’ finest participant. One of many methods Johnson has improved from final season is his capacity to get to the basket and the frequency with which he drives the ball. Johnson has all the time been a superb three-point scorer with a profession common of 39.3% from that distance proves it, however he is additionally tried 20.2% of his pictures this season on the rim (0 to three toes from the basket), which is barely under his profession excessive that he achieved on this class throughout its 2022-23 season in Brooklyn.
Third trimester
The third quarter was one of many Nets’ weaknesses as a result of not solely had been they 25 within the NBA in third quarter scoring (26.9) whereas additionally rating twenty fourth within the NBA in third quarter opponent scoring (30.1), giving them a -3 scoring margin .2 over the interval. Plainly when Brooklyn has come out of halftime in latest video games, the workforce has misplaced a sure degree of focus or depth that has allowed them to compete with groups just like the New York Knicks and Celtics of Boston within the first half earlier than the underside fell out. . To the Nets’ credit score, they battled again from a 17-point deficit to tug this sport away, primarily as a result of approach they performed after the primary quarter.
Compensating for Thomas’ absence
With Thomas being out of the lineup, the Nets needed to discover a approach to compensate for his scoring not being on the ground in addition to the eye he attracts when the ball is in his arms. Not solely did Cam Johnson step up, however so did Jalen Wilson (17 factors), Dorian Finney-Smith (15 factors) and Dennis Schroder (14 factors), as Brooklyn tried to contain a number of gamers in every offensive set. With the way in which the ball moved towards the Hornets, Brooklyn will be capable of recuperate if Thomas is out for Friday’s sport towards the Philadelphia 76ers.
This text was initially revealed on Nets Wire: 3 takeaways from the Nets within the 116-115 victory towards the Hornets within the Emirates NBA Cup
