The undermanned Nets have now performed 31 video games this season, and first-year coach Jordi Fernandez already has employed 16 totally different beginning lineups.
Brooklyn impressively has pulled out simply sufficient wins to hold across the play-in cutoff because the New 12 months approaches, however the Nets weren’t capable of maintain off Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on Friday night time, falling 96-87 at Barclays Heart.
Starters Cam Johnson (hip contusion) and Ben Simmons (decrease again upkeep) joined main scorer Cam Thomas (hamstring) out of the Nets lineup.
After registering 42 factors with 18 rebounds and 4 blocked photographs in a Christmas loss to the Knicks on the Backyard, Wembanyama netted 15 of his 19 factors after halftime.
Former St. John’s standout Julian Champagnie added 18 off the bench for San Antonio (16-15).
Veteran guard Shake Milton made his first begin of the season after scoring 14 of his 20 factors within the fourth quarter of Thursday’s comeback win in Milwaukee.
He contributed 16 factors and 12 assists, however the Nets slipped to 12-19 forward of Sunday’s sport in Orlando.
Nic Claxton had 11 factors and 10 boards to carry his personal in his matchup with Wembanyama, and Keon Johnson scored 15 of his team-high 25 within the fourth quarter for Brooklyn.
the ball as Tyrese Martin of the Brooklyn Nets is simply too
late to defend throughout the first half on Friday night time at
Barclays Heart. Robert Sabo for NY Submit
Dorian Finney-Smith returned after lacking three video games with a calf difficulty, however he managed simply two factors in 27 minutes.
“CJ took a knee to the hip [in Milwaukee], so he’ll be out, and as we’ve done before, it’s a next-man-up mentality,” Fernandez stated of Cam Johnson earlier than the sport. “All the shots that he was supposed to take, somebody else is going to have to take [them].”
Milton has been amongst these enjoying repeatedly and contributing amid a rash of accidents and particularly for the reason that commerce of level guard Dennis Schroder earlier this month to the Warriors.
Thomas, the Nets’ main scorer at 24.7 factors per sport, stays near coming back from a hamstring harm that has sidelined him since Nov. 25.
Milton and Keon Johnson had been deployed because the beginning backcourt, with Simmons additionally sitting out on the tail finish of back-to-back video games for upkeep on his balky decrease again.
Wembanyama threw down a dunk within the opening minute, however the 7-foot-3 French wunderkind was outscored by Claxton 6-2 within the opening session because the Nets grabbed a 22-11 lead by 12 minutes.
The Spurs missed 21 of 25 field-goal makes an attempt within the interval and solely prevented being held to single digits when Keldon Johnson sank a midcourt shot on the buzzer.
It nonetheless marked the fewest factors Brooklyn has allowed in any quarter this season and their lowest first-quarter complete since additionally holding the Hornets to 11 in April 2021.
The Spurs posted the primary 9 factors and opened with a 14-2 spurt, nevertheless, to take a one-point lead barely three minutes into the second quarter.
Champagnie pumped in 10, together with three 3-pointers, within the interval as the edges had been knotted at 41 at intermission.
Wembanyama went inside-outside for a two-handed dunk and corner-3 for a one-point edge early within the third, after which he drained two extra long-range buckets to assist lengthen the Spurs’ benefit to 74-62 heading into the ultimate quarter.
