The Brooklyn Nets emerged victorious in their second Emirates NBA Cup game outlasting the Charlotte Hornets by a score of 116-115. Without leading scorer Cam Thomas, who missed the game with lower back tightness, Brooklyn was down early before rallying back to take the one-point victory.
Cameron Johnson continues to shine for the Nets
Without Thomas, it was questionable where Brooklyn’s offensive punch would come from. In his absence, the Nets’ role players stepped up, with 28-year-old forward Cameron Johnson leading the charge tallying a game-high 34 points on 11-20 shooting overall, 6-12 from long-range, and going 6-6 from the charity stripe.
Johnson also chipped in 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in his tour-de-force performance. Now averaging 18.1 points per game on the season, a career-best, Johnson has been spectacular this year, elevating his offensive game from catch-and-shoot marksman to emerging as a true secondary scoring option while also playing solid defense.
Trendon Watford comes up big in crunch time
In just his second game this season after suffering a hamstring injury in training camp, Watford showed why Brooklyn was eagerly awaiting his return. The versatile forward can do a little bit of everything on the offensive end, from ball handling and facilitation to scoring largely on the strength of his strong outside shooting.
With the game in the balance, Fernandez entrusted the 6-9 LSU product to play the final minutes. Watford responded by attacking the basket and scoring 7 points in the final 1:48 of the fourth quarter to help the Nets secure the win.
On the night, he finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, and a steal while playing 19 minutes. Still working his way back into shape, Watford adds another dimension of scoring and playmaking to a team that is largely devoid of playmakers outside of veterans Schroder and Ben Simmons. At just 24 years old, Nets fans are hoping Watford is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential.
Dennis Schroder’s performance was a mixed bag
Germany’s Olympic hero Dennis Schroder started the season off red hot, averaging 20.1 points and 6.6 assists over the first 10 games giving Brooklyn a borderline All-Star level performance. Over his last 4 games leading up to the matchup against Charlotte, he averaged just 13.0 points and 4.8 assists per game.
During Tuesday night’s contest, Schroder did well to set up his teammates posting 12 assists and just 1 turnover. His shooting on the other hand was still a bit cold. In total, he went 5-12 from the field including 1-5 from three and just 3-5 from the free throw line to generate 14 points in total.
The Nets have asked a lot of the veteran point guard, as they don’t have many other options on the roster to orchestrate the offense. Perhaps with Watford’s return, he can allow Schroder a bit more rest during games, thus improving efficiency.
Contrasting approaches from two rebuilding teams
One of the big reasons Brooklyn was able to hold on and secure the win even without their offensive engine, Cam Thomas, was the contrasting styles of these two rebuilding squads.
Brooklyn plays hard, selfless basketball, and operates in the context of Jordi Fernandez’s system on both ends of the court. Charlotte, on the other hand, played without a defined structure, with individual players looking to get their shots no matter what the cost.
A prime example of this was the performance of LaMelo Ball, Charlotte’s supposed centerpiece. Ball is averaging 28.4 points per game on the season, however, his reckless nature in chucking up contested shots hurt the Hornets. On the night, he finished a dreadful 3-13 from the field scoring just 12 points. Ball was not the only Hornet playing “solo basketball,” he was just the most egregious example.
Ben Simmons plays his best game of the season
With 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, the oft-injured and much-maligned Ben Simmons put together his best game of the season. His 8 field goal attempts were a season high, and mostly a byproduct of his success on the offensive boards while grabbing 4 offensive rebounds.
While on the surface it may seem encouraging, Charlotte was starting the 6-6 Grant Williams at center giving the 6-10 Simmons an unnatural advantage. Simmons is still unwilling to take shots within the flow of the offense, and without uncharacteristic mismatch advantages like the one he enjoyed Tuesday night, he’s still best suited for the bench once the team is at full strength.
Up next for Brooklyn
On Friday, 11/22, the Nets will travel down I-95 to face their division rival, the Philadelphia 76ers. At 2-12 on the season, Philly has been in a tailspin, mired by injuries and poor play from their three stars. Neither Joel Embiid, Paul George, nor Tyrese Maxey has played the full slate this season, and none of them are shooting better than 39 % from the field.
The most recent Sixers’ is the report that Maxey called out Embiid for tardiness during a recent team meeting. It looks as though both Embiid and Maxey will play, however, George is likely to miss the matchup with a knee injury.
The Nets have a prime opportunity to capitalize on the Sixers’ injuries and dysfunction as they look to move closer to .500 on the year. Though it’s unclear if Cam Thomas will return from injury, Brooklyn’s togetherness and culture should make it a close game regardless if the star guard is in the lineup.