TORONTO — The Nets received the sport.
Many will fret it’s serving to lose them the warfare.
Or the lottery.
Brooklyn — now in full-on tank mode — stormed from behind to earn a 101-94 win over Toronto at Scotiabank Enviornment.
It’s a pyrrhic victory that can be candy right this moment however may sting come June.
The Nets (11-16) have been 3 ½ video games forward of Toronto within the standings, thus the identical distance behind within the race for the league’s worst document.
Brooklyn snapped a three-game skid however damage its odds at successful the lottery and even securing a top-four decide.
However the Nets competed, fought and used a 25-9 run during the last 9 minutes.
Brooklyn obtained an enormous night time from Cam Johnson, who had 33 factors, 10 boards and 6 assists.
The ahead accounted for 64.5 p.c of Brooklyn’s offense within the pivotal fourth quarter, with 15 factors and two assists, creating 5 factors off these dimes.
“Yeah, just to compete for 48 minutes,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez stated of his mandate. “Clearly, we’ve gone via a little bit readjusting with the teams and who we’ve got, and all people offers with damage, in order that’s no excuse with that.
“Like I said, the moves are part of the business. And we’ve just got to keep working and do what we’ve done so far. We just go there to fight. Give yourself a chance. Do it together and we’ll live with the result.”
With level guard and chief Dennis Schroder traded to Golden State, Brooklyn’s offense struggled early.
Main scorer Cam Thomas missed his eighth straight recreation with a strained left hamstring and received’t be reevaluated till the weekend.
Minus his offensive punch, the Nets lack different gamers who can beat their man off the dribble.
However Johnson did it for them, with the third-highest scoring night time of his profession.
Brooklyn trailed 81-72 after Kelly Olynyk’s free throw with 9:40 to play.
However the Nets mounted a blitz over the subsequent 5 minutes.
Johnson’s turnaround gave them an 88-86 edge and capped the run.
His brief jumper knotted it at 90-all with 2:24 left.
Then, after a defensive stand, he adopted with a tie-breaking 3-pointer.
Johnson’s free throws pushed it to 95-90 with 1:20 left, they usually cruised.
Beginning middle Nic Claxton obtained ejected within the first half for tossing the ball into the stands.
He’d simply been deliberately fouled by Kelly Olynyk, and will have been vexed over a no-call on his missed try on the possession prior.
Regardless of the case, it’s Claxton’s third ejection already this season in simply his twenty first recreation logged.
And his self-discipline may need been even worse if not for the short reactions of Brooklyn assistant Juwan Howard, who stored him from throwing what seemed to be a seat cushion following the ejection.
However regardless of Claxton’s gaffe, Brooklyn handed tanking Toronto a sixth straight loss. And earned a pyrrhic victory.
Reece Beekman made his Nets debut Thursday night time.
The undrafted rookie, who arrived within the Schroder deal earlier this week, checked in for Dorian Finney-Smith with 3:30 left within the third quarter.
It marked simply his third profession NBA recreation, after a pair of brief cameos for Golden State towards New Orleans, totaling two factors in 4 minutes of motion.
Trendon Watford has been recognized with a left hamstring pressure, and his standing can be up to date in every week.
Ziaire Williams (left knee sprain) has progressed to on-court contact exercises with coaches.
He’s slated to be built-in into group actions throughout the subsequent week.
