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[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets run out of gas against Cleveland Cavaliers, lose 110-97

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

The home team put up a truly valiant effort, but was eventually overwhelmed by Cleveland’s All-Star talent

The Brooklyn Nets exited the 2025 All-Star break as one of the league’s most fascinating teams. Truly.

It's not often you say that about a 20-34 squad, but how they treat the rest of the season is anybody’s guess. Does the front office believe Operation: Tank is really dead, and if not, how far are they willing to resuscitate it? Are Jordi Fernández and a cast of floor-diving journeymen going to continue defending at league-best levels?

Brooklyn’s first game out of the break wouldn’t illuminate much. A test against the 44-10 Cleveland Cavaliers and their league-best offense is difficult for any team, egregiously tanking or not. Armed with a week off and a near-full complement of players, the Nets were sure to play hard. How much that would matter was the question.

A lot, apparently.

Brooklyn took a 50-48 lead into the halftime break, and it would have been a bigger margin had they not turned it over a dozen times, many of them sloppy. Outside of that, though, it was a well-played half Fernández’s team was able to apply effective ball-pressure against Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, and neither got off to a hot start.

A sold-out Barclays Center got loud for each offensive rebound Brooklyn recovered, each well-executed defensive rotation. Despite the rock-fight early — each team shot 26% from deep — it was not a lazy, post-break atmosphere. Especially not when the Nets closed the half on a 12-2 run to snatch the lead, electrified by Nic Claxton outplaying Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley...

Highlight-filled end to the half for Brooklyn. Some rollicking defensive possessions, featuring a heavy dose of Nic Claxton, and they take a 50-48 lead into the break: pic.twitter.com/Cs3iErB6lk

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 21, 2025​

Despite the opponent, it was the same game Brooklyn’s been playing for nearly a month now: poor shooting, high effort, and a close score. The Nets played exactly as opposing head coach and familiar face Kenny Atkinson described them, pregame.

“You know, Jordi, I feel like I’m watching a FIBA team, you know? And that’s a real compliment. It’s physicality and extreme physicality, and I think they’re fouling a lot, which is fine. They made a commitment, they have an identity.”

This is who the Nets seem to be with just a modicum of health; perhaps the Play-In Tournament is within reach.

Even if Killian Hayes is the first sub off the bench, which he was on Thursday night. The former #7 pick, recently rewarded with a 10-day contract, subbed in for D’Angelo Russell five minutes into the night...

Killian's first three shots, a couple of serious bricks but then gets on the board with a floater pic.twitter.com/ePQrzqTSKs

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 21, 2025​

Though he shot just 2-of-6 and 0-of-3 from deep, it wasn’t all bad for Hayes. He was blown by too easily a couple times on D, but also took a charge and blocked a shot in his 21 minutes his first NBA game since Detroit waived him a year ago.

Before the game, he told reporters, “My goal is to stay in the NBA, make a mark for myself. But I think my short term goals are, you know, just be a team player, show what I can do in these 10 days I have, and just keep going from there.”

To that end, Thursday night was a good start for the Frenchman.

But Hayes wasn’t Brooklyn’s most impressive ball-handler off the bench. That was undoubtedly Trendon Watford, who finished with 13/4/3 and a number of highlight plays in the game’s middle stages...

PURE bucket from Trendon Watford: pic.twitter.com/fE4MrXjTeC

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 21, 2025​

Cleveland picked it up in the third quarter, and flexed their more talented muscles. Darius Garland went assist-bucket-bucket for a personal 7-0 run to create separation, and Mitchell entered the game trying to both dunk on and break the ankles of every defender.

With the Nets on the brink of falling by the wayside, Watford willed them back to within two possessions as the fourth quarter started. There seemed to be a real chance Brooklyn notched their most improbable win yet.

Alas, the talent gap was too stark. Though the Nets stopped turning it over, it didn’t matter; they could not generate clean looks, nor make difficult ones. Fernández’s team shot 40/26/55 in the second half. Nic Claxton, for all his early excellence, shot just 4-of-10 in total, 0-of-4 from the line.

Day’Ron Sharpe worked his behind off, but a 3-of-10 performance from the floor wasn’t going to cut it. The smalls couldn’t make threes, but the bigs couldn’t make layups and the Cavaliers poured it on with a late, game-sealing 13-0 run...

ICE MAX. #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/PBN5YHwhY5

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) February 21, 2025​

Though Brooklyn’s faltering offense really killed them, Fernández didn’t want to discuss that postgame, but rather how the shots rimming out impacted their overall energy.

“The second-chance points in the second half was 14-2. So, that’s how you lose games, and then the fast breaks. Fast-break points was 15-2 just in that second half ... There’s some positives. Obviously, we responded the first half. It was not pretty, we were not shooting the ball well, but we were in the game, like you said, up against a very good team. I take it and just like, our focus was not all the way through the game, and that’s what we have to be better at.”

It certainly didn't help that veteran leader D’Angelo Russell left early in the third quarter — with Brooklyn up five — after appearing to sprain his ankle, three words Nets fans cannot escape this season.

“For him to go down, that’s tough. But, I think we got capable guys across the board, I don’t think it still should have gotten got out of hand, but sometimes it happens,” said Cam Johnson.

“We’ll reevaluate tomorrow,” was all Brooklyn’s head coach had to say about Russell’s injury postgame.

The NBA, as always, is about the Jimmys and Joes, more than the X’s and O’s. Brooklyn played hard, as they always do call it Jordi Ball but they did not have the horses. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley would get their revenge on Claxton and Sharpe, shooting a combined 10-of-13 in the second half while grabbing 20 boards, dominating the paint.

At the very least, these Nets are a team you can be proud of, playing hard and never making excuses.

But that doesn’t exactly win basketball games, does it?

Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers 110, Brooklyn Nets 97

Milestone Watch​

• Thursday marked Watford’s season-high-tying fourth straight game reaching double-digits.
• Nic Claxton has blocked three shots, extending his season-best streak of games with multiple blocks. Claxton is up to a league-leading 19 blocks this month (2.7 bpg).

Tosan Evbuomwan sent to Long Island​

For players on two-way contracts, there is a 50-game limit for which they can be active. However, that number is pro-rated to the point in the season when they were signed. For Tosan Evbuomwan, that number is just 11 more active games.

As a result, Evbuomwan was sent down to Long Island — where he's played just one game thus far — on Thursday.

Said Fernández: “We want to see him keep getting better and keep playing those minutes. If we need him here, for sure, we’re gonna bring him back and play those 11 games. But that’s the thought process right now, is, you know, being smart with those games. He’s a very important part of our club and what we’re trying to do.”

Kenny Atkinson on D’Angelo Russell, former team​

The Brooklyn Nets have changed a lot since Kenny Atkinson last coached in the borough. However, one of his first success stories, D’Angelo Russell, has returned.

After his initial praise of Jordi Fernández (above), Atkinson was asked if he saw any similarities between this Nets team and the one he guided to the playoffs in 2018-19. He went right to D’Lo.

“They got D’Lo; so yeah, D’Lo is at the center of it. Yeah I think - and I don’t know if Jordi would say it - I always felt like those early Nets teams, the feedback we got was like ‘man, you guys are so competitive. You play so hard.’ And then we just heard that over and over. We were not perfect. We made a lot of mistakes. But that compete level on a daily basis, I think that’s where I’d make the connection. I see a lot of similarities there.”

Then, the front-runner for NBA Coach of the Year went deeper on his former point guard, specifically Russell’s leadership abilities: “It’s really interesting, because he is a natural leader. He has natural charisma. I used to say with the Nets, he’s got, like, star charisma. He really does. Whatever that DNA is, D’Lo — you can have your opinion about him — but D’Lo thinks he’s a star, know’s he’s a star, and I love that about him.”

“And then, as he started maturing more and getting comfortable here and started playing well, he started to lead me. He’d call me after games. Sometimes I’d call him, but most of the time he would call me [and say], ‘Hey, we should do this. I think we need to make a change in the starting lineup. Man, we’re practicing too much.’ Whatever it is, we had this line of communication. So leadership from that standpoint. And then in the locker room, he started gaining a ton of respect in there and started leading in there. I can’t imagine — he must be in the perfect place now, right? He’s kinda seen it all. He’s at that age where I assume he’s the alpha in that locker room. I’m just a big fan of the player, big fan of the leader, big fan of the person.”

That is some serious praise indeed.

Injury Update​

Though there is no immediate update for D’Angelo Russell, we’ll learn more about the severity of his ankle sprain when Brooklyn’s next injury report is released.

However, Cam Thomas, who’s played just two games since November 27 with left hamstring trouble, spoke with YES Network’s Meghan Triplett on Thursday about his recovery process...

In an exclusive interview with @Meghan_Triplett, Cam Thomas talks about his recovery from a left hamstring strain. #NETSonYES pic.twitter.com/EFKyBonWYQ

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) February 21, 2025​

“Recovery is going great,” Thomas said. “My first five-on-five today, so that was good, get back on the court playing. But recovery has been great, and you know, can’t wait to get back on the court.”

Like his teammates and coaches, he sees an obvious path to impact upon returning: “We’ve been really great defensively ... I’m just here to help, you know, elevate the offense a little bit. So I can’t wait to do that. So I think if we mix the offense with the defense, we’ll be a really difficult team to beat.”

Next Up​

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Brooklyn hits the road for two games on the East Coast, starting with the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/20...liers-110-97-donovan-mitchell-dangelo-russell

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Sean Marks on lack of moves at trade deadline: ‘We like Cam Johnson’

Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images

In his first comments since the Nets quiet deadline, Sean Marks talked about the simplest reason for keeping and not trading Cam Johnson. “We like Cam Johnson,” he said

In a short discussion of the trade deadline — part of the team’s Brooklyn Bridges video series, Sean Marks spoke about his rationale at the trade deadline, “stay pat” as he said. He simply offered praise for the player most involved in rumors and noted that beyond Cam Johnson, there was “a lot of interest” in a “lot of our guys.” No details though in the video, posted Thursday.

(The discussion begins at 8:22 in...)

“We’re enjoying seeing some of these young guys and this roster continue to grow under Jordi’s tutelage,” said the Brooklyn Nets GM. “So I think for us it was like… stay pat, we haven’t seen enough from some guys because they’ve been hurt and we made a few of our moves earlier on in the year.”

The Nets in fact traded two of their veteran players with a two-week period between December 15, the unofficial beginning of trade season, and New Year’s, getting packages of three second rounders each for Dennis Schroder from Golden State and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Lakers ... plus a few expiring deals led by D’Angelo Russell.

Specifically regarding Johnson, Marks noted, “With Cam, there was a lot of interest in him just as there was with a lot of our guys but we like Cam and we think Cam fits multiple builds that we are doing. He’s a voice of reason. He’s well-respected within that locker room. He’s a pro’s pro. So if people can learn from somebody, they learn from Cam Johnson. That’s a great guy to pick up habits from.”

Marks didn’t detail any of the offers he might have received for Johnson or who else had attracted interest although in the weeks before the deadline, there were reports that the Nets wanted a baseline offer of two first rounders for Johnson which teams, particularly contenders, couldn’t meet either because they didn’t want to part with that much for Johnson and/or they were constrained by the more draconian aspects of the new CBA.

Later in the video, Marks added more accolades of Johnson that added to the suggestion that the GM and organization have developed a connection with Johnson on a personal level.

“I’m super impressed and happy for him, having the year he’s having and being rewarded for it.” Marks continued. “I mean the shooting, everyone knew he could do and going out there to represent Brooklyn in the 3-point shooting contest for him, the fanbase, the organization and his family. Fantastic.”

The video also includes a recent Jordi Fernandez comment post-deadline re Johnson.

“We obviously value Cam,” said the head coach. “He’s been great and he’s going to continue to be great. He’s not the type of person who’s going to relax, who’s going to say, ‘Okay, I’m here.’ He’s going to keep working, keep getting better, do what’s best for the team.

Although the Nets didn’t make any moves at the February 6 deadline, they have been active since, buying out Ben Simmons, waiving Bojan Bogdanovic and filling those slots by extending Tyrese Martin a standard contract and bringing up Killian Hayes on a 10-day deal. They may have other moves in mind as well.

In a subtle way, the video — which highlights the Nets recent run, the deadline and All-Star break featuring CamJ in the 3-point contest — may very well be a response to some fan sentiment that by winning games, six of seven before last night, Brooklyn has given up a chance at a high lottery pick.

At another point in the video, Fernandez is shown offering this to his team.

“We’re going to keep pushing, we’re going to get better,” said the head coach. “We’re going to be compete better and we’re going to have fun with it.”

The video also includes both locker room scenes and quotes from Fernandez and D’Angelo Russell pushing the team culture, reminding viewers of D’Lo’s comments on the coach and team culture.

“I wasn’t familiar with a lot of guys. I wasn’t familiar with the coaching staff, for them to welcome me with open arms and make it comfortable for me right away, and watch the genius Jordi is,” Russell noted.

“Watching him prepare for these games, not knowing who’s going to play, not knowing who’s gonna start, or who can finish, who can’t play, minute restrictions, et cetera. For him to still find a way to get straight wins and keep everybody’s energy and spirit high. I think the future’s bright here.”

Of course, we shall see about that.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/21...f-moves-at-trade-deadline-we-like-cam-johnson

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Killian Hayes, Tyrese Martin speak on their journeys to Brooklyn

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

It’s a two-year deal for Martin and a 10-Day for Hayes. It’s a long time coming for them both.

While it’s more commonly associated with red candies or furry weathermen, under a basketball lens the month of February is the time of year for major — and minor — NBA chess moves due to it being centered around the trade deadline. This year’s board-shuffling extravaganza involved Sacramento sliding out its speediest King, the one in LA grabbing a new piece to play with, and that stalemate in Miami finally coming to a close.

Although the Brooklyn Nets refrained from partaking in the game this year, they did turn a few pawns into knights exactly two weeks removed from it.

News of the deals broke yesterday, but today, the team officially confirmed its signing of Tyrese Martin and Killian Hayes to NBA contracts. Martin was elevated from a two-way to a standard deal, while Hayes, who had been in the G-League all season with Long Island, inked a 10-day agreement.

“I felt very grateful,” said Hayes. “I felt like a lot of work got put into this, and I’m just very grateful for this opportunity.”

Killian Hayes warming up ahead of his potential Brooklyn Nets debut. pic.twitter.com/yWlykFozo8

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 20, 2025​

“It took a lot of hard work, you know, so that’s not going to change, but it definitely was like a weight on my shoulders lifted off when it happened,” added Martin. “I was able to like, just enjoy the break, mind free, things like that to know this moment was coming for me, for sure.”

It was a well-deserved payday for Martin — active for 50 games and appearing in 36 already this season while averaging 7.8 points, 1.8 assists, and 3.9 boards per game. It was also a timely one. With Martin already reaching the maximum amount of games teams are able to activate their two-ways for in a season, they needed to either convert him or send him back down before tonight.

“With Tyrese, it’s very simple: He’s done a great job throughout the summer, earned his two-way, and then he’s done an amazing job to earn this contract,” Jordi Fernández said. “He has been part of what we’re trying to do, worked every single day, got better, great teammate, helped us win a lot of games. And this is very, very well deserved, proud of him and happy, happy for him.”

“It feels good,” Martin said in response to his coach’s kind words. “It gives you some type of clarity to know that you’re doing the right things...I feel like it’s not like I’m going out there and just looking for things he wants me to do. I feel like I’m just being myself and being the pro that I am, just going out there, working hard, being a great person every day. And this is what he stands for, so if I can do that, help build this culture what he wants it to be, I feel like I could be here for a little while.”

For Hayes, it’s another step down the road in what he hopes is a redemption tour. The former lottery pick was waived by the Detroit Pistons just over a year ago. Getting some burn tonight, this evening gave Hayes his first NBA action since February 7th, 2024.

Killian Hayes gets his first NBA points is over a year. His last bucket came on Feb. 7th, 2024. pic.twitter.com/b44HB2aXH6

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 21, 2025​

Hayes finished this evening with five points, three assists, and a board in 21 minutes while shooting 2-of-6 from the floor. Martin didn’t score until the final three minutes of the game, flying around a screen and finishing through some contact for a layup before splashing a three soon after. While Brooklyn was already well-defeated by that point, eventually falling to Cleveland by a 110-97 score, the progress from Hayes and Martin to get here tonight remains worth celebrating.

“Just coming in every day, with a great mindset, just trying to get one percent better,” Martin said of his journey. “You know, being a great person and just being the best teammate I could be even when things might not be going how I want them to go. So I just stuck to those three things and, you know, it just panned out the way for me the way I wanted it to.”

While Hayes has seen less time with the Nets this year, Martin has taken the longer road back to an NBA floor. The combo guard signed a rookie-scale deal with the Atlanta Hawks after they drafted him in the second round two years ago. They waived him after the first, leaving Martin off the pro level for the entire 2023-24 season before finding better footing here in Brooklyn.

“I think just how connected we are,” Martin said of Brooklyn’s ability to bring out the best in him. “Everybody’s just — just no egos. Everybody’s bought into what we’re all trying to do and everybody just fits in very well. We play an offense that favors anybody to have a great night out there. That’s a great thing... It’s just a great, tight-knit group, and obviously we’re exceeding expectations that were set for us at the beginning of the year. I feel like we’re in a great place.”

Tyrese Martin had a CAREER night in a BIG victory for the Nets!

30 PTS (career-high)
8 3PM (career-high) pic.twitter.com/Mzh2sC8A4u

— NBA (@NBA) November 28, 2024​

Hayes, under the 10-day, will get 10 days or three games, whichever comes first, to play up in Brooklyn. Ironically, it ends March 1 when the Nets play the Pistons. They can then offer him another 10-day deal after that or give him a standard one for the remainder of the season.

“Just do whatever I’m asked,” Hayes said when asked what he hopes to showcase. “Just play hard, go out there, play ball. Any excitement I have, just give it my all, really.”

Hayes has done that for the most part down in the G, also polishing the most stained aspect of his game: his shooting. Across his three and a half years in Detroit, Hayes posted 38/27 splits. On Long Island, he improved that to 43/29 marks but over the last seven games, he exploded, shooting 57/50.

“I think it just comes with reps and confidence,” said Hayes. “I think confidence plays a big part in shooting. When I was over there, I was playing with a lot of confidence. Every shot I took, I felt was going in. So just coming in here with the same impact, same mentality, and playing with confidence.”

“I believe that life is full of ups and downs, not everything is going to be perfect,” he went on. “Sometimes you question things. That’s why I lean a lot on God, and God helped me a lot through this journey. And like I said, I just feel blessed and grateful to be back here.”

Pivotal as these steps are for both players, each hopes to make them their first on an extensive journey that keeps them in the association — that keeps them on the board.

“My goal is to stay in the NBA, make a mark for myself,” Hayes said. “But I think my short-term goals are, you know, just be a team player, show what I can do in these 10 days I have, and just keep going from there. Just helping my teammates, being a great teammate, being a great locker room guy, and just do what I have to do.”

“If anything, I think, you just start working harder and smarter, the same way you’ve been,” Martin added. “Can’t be satisfied, and you just go out there and just know there’s more to take. So that’s my mindset now going into these next 28 games and getting into the offseason.”

There was one other side note from the deadline. Sean Marks broke his silence on the trade deadline in talking with Brooklyn Bridge, the Nets magazine.

Sean Marks speaks on the trade deadline and Cam Johnson. (via @BrooklynNets )

“I think for us it was like… stay pat, we haven't seen enough from our guys because they’ve been hurt and we made a few of our moves earlier on in the year” pic.twitter.com/CZ8kSa21ht

— The Brooklyn Way (@Jersey2Brooklyn) February 21, 2025​

“I think for us it was like… stay pat, we haven’t seen enough from our guys because they’ve been hurt and we made a few of our moves earlier on in the year,” said Marks..

• Former lottery pick Killian Hayes ‘grateful’ to earn 10-day trial run with Nets - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Tyrese Martin, Killian Hayes talk new contracts with Nets - C,J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Former top-10 pick attempting NBA comeback after signing contract with Nets - Erik Slater - Clutch Points

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/21...se-martin-speak-on-their-journeys-to-brooklyn

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

The Long Island Nets defeat Osceola Magic, 137-114 as Drew Timme notches triple double

Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images

Brooklyn sent Long Island Tosan Evbuomwan, Reece Beekman and Dariq Whitehead to Long Island, but it was Drew Timme who stole the day in a big win.

The Long Island Nets returned to the court on Friday night for the first time since the All-Star break, as they got set to face Mac McClung and the Osceola Magic. This new-look Long Island Nets team defeated the Magic, picking up a rare commanding victory, 137-114.

Since Killian Hayes was called up by the Brooklyn Nets and signed a standard contract, Long Island knew they’d have big shoes to fill. Thankfully, they had reinforcements take the Long Island Expressway east from Brooklyn as Dariq Whitehead, Tosan Evbuomwan returned, and for the first time, Reece Beekman took the court in a Long Island uniform.

But the night’s most impressive performance came from Drew Timme.

After notching his first triple-double a couple of games back before the break, he managed to do it again. The 6’10” three-time All-Ameican from Gonzaga finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. If that’s not impressive enough, he also had two blocks and a steal

Beekman picked up right where he left off in Santa Cruz before he was traded to Brooklyn in the Dennis Schroder deal back in December.

The 6’4” point guard led the team in points with 23. He also was tied for the team lead along with Timme with 11 assists. While filling Hayes’ shoes is no easy feat, Beekman played very well and may see action in Philadelphia with Brooklyn. Beekman also had two rebounds, one block, and a whopping five steals. It was his defensive potential that led the Nets to trade for him.

From one Brooklyn player to another, Tosan Evbuomwan made his Nassau Coliseum debut tonight in a big way. Evbuomwan was fourth on the team in scoring with 19 points to his name. He had an impressive shooting performance, hitting seven of his 13 attempts, including hitting three of his six from deep. Evbuomwan also picked up 10 rebounds, and three assists.

As for Whitehead, he connected on four of his 14 attempts, including hitting two out of his nine shots from deep. Certainly far from his best game in shooting, but he was still able to pick up 12 points.

Long Island’s Tyson Etienne had 22 points, while Trevon Scott came off the bench and picked up 20.

The 6’2” Etienne had another tight shooting game, hitting 8-of-11 overall and 6-of-9 from three. Like a couple of his teammates, Etienne is hopeful of landing a two-way job before March 4 which is the NBA deadline for signing players who split their time between the two leagues.

The first quarter was a battle between the two teams, as they tied it up five times. Long Island shot 50% in field goals and from deep to give them the four-point lead as the first came to an end. However, Osceola battled back in the second, as Long Island went into the half down, 65-64.

The third quarter saw Long Island outscore Osceola, 30-18. Long Island was able to pull away in the third as they took an 11-point lead into the fourth. In the fourth, Long Island outscored Osceola, 43-11, to put the final dagger in a great first game back from the All-Star break.

Osceola guard Mac McClung, fresh off his third Slam Dunk contest win, posted a game-high 25 points, one rebound, five assists and one steal in 32 minutes ... and showed off his athleticism without dunking.

Mac McClung goes 360!

The #ATTSlamDunk champ still has some tricks up his sleeve as he has 14 points for the @OsceolaMagic on @tubi. pic.twitter.com/jJc9XCZ9wS

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 22, 2025​

Magic forward Myron Gardner tallied 24 points, seven rebounds, one assist and two steals in 32 minutes.

Tosan Evbuomwan Wants A Playoff Push with the Long Island Nets​

In Friday night’s game, Evbuomwan made his return to the Long Island Nets after playing a good portion of the season in Brooklyn.

“It was great,” Evbuomwan told NetsDaily about making his return to Long Island in front of the home crowd of 2,600. “It was a great win for the team. Wins are very important right now as we build and try to make the playoffs. Great stuff tonight.”

Making the G League post-season will be a challenge. With 15 games left, the 8-11 Nets are three and a half out of the playoffs.

Just this week, Tyrese Martin signed a standard contract with the Brooklyn Nets, opening up a two-way spot on the Nets roster.

Brooklyn Nets two-way player, Tosan Evbuomwan, on his return to Long Island, a potential contract offer, learning under Jordi Fernandez, his goals, and more.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/qfWXcweSij

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) February 22, 2025​

When Evbuomwan was asked if he had any expectations of getting standard deal like Tyrese Martin, he was non-committal.

“I just control what I can control,” says Evbuomwan. “Whether I’m here or up top with Brooklyn, I try my best to impact winning as well as I can. I’m here to win games and continue to get better. Whether it’s down here or up there, the goal is the same for me.”

Like so many of his teammates, Evbuomwan had some very nice things to say about Brooklyn head coach, Jordi Fernandez.

“Love Jordi, and I love everything about him and the coaching staff,” says Evbuomwan. “I’m just trying to continue the things I learn whether it’s up there or down here. I’m trying to be a leader down here. Continuing to learn, and continuing to grow, and just do things that are important to both here and up in Brooklyn.”

Simply put, Evbuomwan said his No. 1 goal is to continue getting better. He also hopes to “impact winning.” “Just to see personal growth,” said Evbuomwan about his goals. “Most importantly we want to make the playoffs, so just making the playoff push with this team, and up too, just win games and help win games.”

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (8-11) return to the court on Sunday afternoon for another showdown with the Osceola Magic. The game tips off at 3:00 p.m. EST and can be viewed on the NBA G-League and the Long Island Nets’ respective websites. It can also be viewed on the Gotham Sports App.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets 137, Osceola Magic 114 - G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/22...c-137-114-as-drew-timme-notches-triple-double

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets defeat Philadelphia 76ers on Nic Claxton’s buzzer-beater, 105-103

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

We were headed for overtime in the City of Brothery Love, and then Nic Claxton swooped down from the sky to vault Brooklyn above Philly in the Play-In race.

The only thing the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets had in common was their record.

Before facing off in Philly on Saturday night, each team was 20-35, tied (in the loss column) with the Chicago Bulls for the Eastern Conference’s 10-seed, AKA the final Play-In Tournament spot.

That’s the wasteland of the NBA, modern wisdom dictates. Not good enough to win any sort of meaningful playoff game, not bad enough to find franchise-changing talent in the draft (or at least, much harder to).

So, a significant portion of each fanbase was rooting for a loss on Saturday night; maybe the teams have that in common too. A loss for the Sixers would likely mean one step closer to Joel Embiid getting the season-ending surgery he so clearly and desperately needs on his left knee, ending their charade of playoff contention. It also doesn’t hurt their case to tank that any pick outside the top-6 heads to Oklahoma City.

Brooklyn’s been fighting this battle all season, following a summer in which GM Sean Marks traded to re-acquire control of his team’s next two drafts. It’s a battle they’ve been losing, by winning games.

Saturday night’s contest existed, then, to serve as a reminder that Brooklyn’s problems aren’t so bad. It could always be worse, and in 2024-25, that means the Sixers.

Not breaking any news here, but they are absolutely miserable. Joel Embiid should not be playing basketball games, and yet, there he was on Saturday night, limping around the court and refusing/unable to contest Brooklyn’s many layups.

The Nets built a 17-point lead in the first half, though the Sixers cut it to 11 by the break. But Brooklyn did not do it with defense, as they’ve been doing for most of February. It was offense, despite a lack of 3-point shooing; the Nets shot a ridiculous 18-of-26 inside the arc in the first half. And everybody was involved...

great pass from Killian Hayes in transition

Sixers are a dead team walking pic.twitter.com/skgaN3K8Bq

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

Though Embiid had an excuse for his lack of energy, nobody behind him stepped up. Philadelphia fans may be the world’s most brutal, but they had a right to boo on Saturday, a right they freely exercised until the 76ers finally closed the gap late in the second half.

With Embiid on the bench, Brooklyn’s lack of 3-point shooting finally caught up to them, and chances to put Philly away for good careened off the side of the rim. Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre put up most of their points after the break, and Guerschon Yabusele gave Embiid a reason to sit for the entire fourth quarter.

A put-back dunk from Oubre with under four minutes left put Philly up three, and they appeared to be on their way to a win. Or more accurately, avoiding an embarrassing loss to a spunky but undermanned Nets team starting Killian Hayes at point guard.

On the next possession, Cam Johnson — previously 0-of-8 from deep — nailed a game-tying three. And Johnson deserved it; he had done everything but shoot the long ball in this one, scoring 23 points by living at the line, and creating good offense for his teammates...

If you want to know why the Nets are beating the Sixers right now (and 6-2 in their last 8), watch these three possessions.

Ball movement, defensive activity, energy (and Cam Johnson can legitimately read the floor w/ a live dribble now): pic.twitter.com/MNrkRuYIXo

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

Yet, with the game tied up in the dying seconds, Johnson didn’t have the ball in his hands. The rock belonged to Trendon Watford, and why wouldn’t it?

For the third straight game, he had come off the bench to bully mismatches both small (close friend Maxey) and big (Yabusele), en route to 16 points of 7-of-13 shooting and another batch of highlights....

Trendon Watford that is a gorgeous dime pic.twitter.com/z2W4UkCSBt

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

Watford drove toward the middle, attracted help, and dished out to Keon Johnson who, with 11/4/4/3/1, already had played a solid game and was now looking to be the hero as he launched a contested 3-pointer.

From the broadcast, it looked off immediately, veering wide right. At least we’d get five more minutes of fun, whistle-less basketball between two teams caught in a spin-cycle of a year.

But we didn’t. Nic Claxton, who had just blocked his fifth shot of the night to keep the game tied, swooped in to collect his ninth rebound, and in one motion, tossed up a floater that rolled in for his 16th point of the night. Game over...

NIC CLAXTON PUTBACK FOR THE DUB!!! pic.twitter.com/I2lfA4jhYK

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 23, 2025​

“That was my first game-winner, ever. It felt good, it really did feel like a movie. Seen the shot go up and just tried to make a play,” said a wide-eyed Claxton, not coming down just yet from the adrenaline rush.

Brooklyn’s bench went wild as Wells Fargo Arena went silent. They ran down to the opposite corner of the court and mobbed their starting center, Day’Ron Sharpe (10/7/1/2/1) included...

Day'Ron Sharpe and Claxton celebrate

— Lucas Kaplan (@lucaskaplan.bsky.social) 2025-02-23T03:40:57.249Z

“Man, I’m so glad we ain’t have to go to overtime,” said Watford of his reaction. “Honestly, I ain’t know if I had it in me to play five more minutes, I ain’t gonna lie.”

Though the Nets did put up 40 points in the first quarter, it turned into a typical win for them. Their opponent had to fight and claw to reach 100 points, Watford led effective bench units, their centers played excellent ball for all 48 minutes, and nobody left the arena without a scratch.

Jordi Fernández was eager to point out his bigs postgame. “Defensively, having Nic and having Day’Ron, they’ve been good rim protectors. They’ve been great with their coverages, they’ve been the anchor of our defense, and I think that’s helped us, for sure, defend our paint, our rim ... holding teams to 103 points in the NBA is pretty good, and especially this team with three super players.”

The result may hurt Brooklyn in the long-term. But since we’ll never know the alternate universe in which Claxton’s put-back rims out and the Nets lose in overtime, perhaps it’s better to enjoy the exhilarating victory over a division rival.

In any case, we don’t normally allow profanity on NetsDaily, but this one was best summed up by the man himself...

"We got the f*****g win!" -- Nic Claxton pic.twitter.com/D0Hb8PHjyI

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 105, Philadelphia 76ers 103

Milestone Watch​

• Nic Claxton’s first-career game-winning shot!
• Trendon Watford scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, matching the highest-scoring quarter in his Nets career.
• Not only Brooklyn’s seventh win in nine tries, but their season-high-tying third straight road win.

Injury Update​

Though Killian Hayes didn’t close the game, he was Brooklyn’s starting point guard in this one, as mentioned.

That’s because the ankle sprain D’Angelo Russell suffered on Thursday was no minor bruise, and pregame, Jordi Fernández confirmed he’d miss (at least) each game of Brooklyn's short road trip.

The Cam Thomas front, however, was more positive...

Jordi Fernandez didn't give an exact date but said Cam Thomas will return 'soon':

“He did great [in the 5v5]. He scored a lot...It’s gonna be soon. I cannot tell you exactly when, but it’s trending in the right direction. He’s in a good place. We’re happy to have him back soon." pic.twitter.com/nSOkSq8WvB

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) February 22, 2025​

Standings Watch​

Not so long ago, this section was full of screenshots of the race to the bottom, or the top of the NBA Draft Lottery. Not anymore.

After Saturday’s victory...

• 10: Chicago Bulls, 22-35 (Play-In Tournament)
• 11: Brooklyn Nets, 21-35
• 12: Philadelphia 76ers, 20-36

Oh boy.

Next Up​

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The Nets will have a chance to keep pace or even pass the Chicago Bulls in the standings with a win in their next game. And they travel to the nation’s capital to play the nine-win Washington Wizards. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET on Monday evening.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 105, Philadelphia 76ers - NBA
• Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 105, Philadelphia 76ers (Video) - NBA
• Fantastic Finishes: 76ers vs Nets (Video) - NBA
• Nic Claxton and Trendon Watford on thrilling 105-103 win over 76ers (Video) - Meghan Triplett - YES Network
• Frank Isola breaks down the Nets’ impressive matchup vs. Philly (Video) - Nancy Newman & Frank Isola - YES Network
• Jordi Fernández gives his thoughts on the Nets’ buzzer-beater (Video) - YES Network
• Claxton scores winner at the horn to send Nets past 76ers 105-103- NBA
• Nic Claxton’s buzzer-beating putback propels Nets past 76ers - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nic Claxton beats the buzzer in Philadelphia to help Nets keep pace in Eastern Conference Play-In race - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/22/24370930/nets-vs-76ers-105-103-nic-claxton-joel-embiid

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

3 Takeaways from the Brooklyn Nets dramatic win over 76ers

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Winning and losing seem interchangeable joys among Nets fans, depending on your view, but it’s hard not to cheer after this one.

Not too long ago, the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets were duking it out in the playoffs, each on the positive sides of lengthy rebuilds with captivating young talent at their helms. Also, Jared Dudley and JJ Redick were there.

But now, with each team hungover from their sprints at title contention, they’re spending their Saturday nights pondering whether or not they actually want to win the games that lie before them. At least a season like this was always the plan for the Nets though, right?

But while the mighty may have fallen, they’ve played on nonetheless. The Nets enjoyed their final game of the year against their old, now soul-less rival, winning by a 105-103 score thanks to Nic Claxton’s buzzer beater.

late night find pic.twitter.com/RaihL8htTS

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 23, 2025​

In what was supposed to be one of the association’s low-budget productions of the evening, we got a blockbuster finish. Ball-handling duties were tackled as a group, the defense again reined supreme, Joel Embiid got yammed on, and the City of Brotherly Love got some much-needed humbling after two weeks of Super Bowl fun. Here’s what else went down.

Killian Can Hang​

Kicking one of the NBA’s most “down” teams this year isn’t the world’s biggest accomplishment. Nonetheless, the association’s trash is often the G-League’s treasure, and with Killian Hayes spending 99% of his time this year down there, him helping to lead Brooklyn to a win over a league team such as the 76ers deserves more applause.

Hayes, getting the start after playing in his first game in over a year earlier this week, only finished with three points after shooting 1-of-3 from the field but also compiled six assists while playing 27 minutes. He navigated the pick-and-roll well, pattering around like a seasoned quarterback in a collapsing pocket, and flashed some 20/20 court vision.

great pass from Killian Hayes in transition

Sixers are a dead team walking pic.twitter.com/skgaN3K8Bq

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

For a team that’s had nights looking nothing short of lost on offense without their lead guard, whether that’s Dennis Schröder or D’Angelo Russell, staying on course with Hayes was a pleasant surprise. Their 16 turnovers for the game weren’t pretty, but we’ve also seen worse.

Hayes wasn’t the reason Brooklyn won. Credit that to their intense, ball-pressuring defense and their collective selflessness at the other end — two things that’ve now become staples for this team coming around the All-Star corner. But in short, he played well as a facilitator, so hats off to that.

Shot Diet Continues to Evolve​

Brooklyn’s love with the three-ball this year is well-documented, but of late, they’ve developed an open relationship with it, and last night moved beyond flirting with the paint.

With the Nets shooting a turbulent 7-of-28 from the field, scoring closer to the cylinder slowly but surely materialized as the only path capable of taking them to a win. Brooklyn bolted down it, outscoring Philly in the paint by a 60-50 margin. After spending the first four months of the season as a bottom-10 team in scoring there, they haven’t lost the battle of the paint now for nine straight games!

Usual suspects Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe pitched in with uber-efficient scoring nights. Clax added 16 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the field as Sharpe tallied 10 while going 5-of-6 from the field.

that's a tough bucket from Nic Claxton pic.twitter.com/hBhst3i59m

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

Trendon Watford also savvied his way to 16 points as well, scoring all but two of them in the paint. On one leg or not, that’s impressive when you do it against Joel Embiid in a drop coverage.

yikes, Keon Johnson pic.twitter.com/Fmc0iD4v4Z

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 23, 2025​

Whether or not the Nets keep this (and their winning) up over the next handful of games should be fun to watch. Of Brooklyn’s next three games, two feature teams ranking top five in opponent field goal percentage in the paint.

Renting to a Future Tenant? ​

While the Nets were down the Turnpike, their practice court still got some usage over the weekend. With the Duke Men’s basketball team playing Illinois at Madison Square Garden last night, they needed somewhere in the Big Apple to practice. Brooklyn gladly provided that.

@BrooklynNets pic.twitter.com/rz92zDmKYG

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 22, 2025​

Of course, everyone’s favorite Nets jersey photoshop model Cooper Flagg was there. Even though what Brooklyn did hours after the Duke practice would put more distance between he and the Nets, it didn’t stop everyone from acting exactly as you’d expect in the comments of the attached social media posts.

S/O @BrooklynNets! Facility is elite pic.twitter.com/LcBoxV14ze

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 22, 2025​

The affair seemed just much as tour of the facility as it was tune up before the big game. The Blue Devils at one point even got to check out the football helmets Jordi Fernández gave each player this year to help them symbolize and visualize their on-court progress.

@dariq_whitehead pic.twitter.com/xAbPQDTNvO

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 22, 2025​

There’s no need to make a mountain out of a molehill here, especially with the Nets suffocating their lottery odds once more last night. But...as someone merely observing things...it seems like the Duke program thinks highly of HSS and the Nets. They didn’t have to shoutout Brooklyn, but they did. That counts for something.

And we should note that the Dukies’ three first rounders are not the first prospects to enjoy the facilities and The Great Window. Texas and 6’6” shooting guard Tre Johnson were in earlier in the season as was Derik Queen, Maryland’s 6’10” big man. DQ apparently likes the view...

Derik Queen’s profile picture on Instagram #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/b9iPIOTceT

— NetsKingdom (@NetsKingdomAJ) February 19, 2025​

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/23...rom-the-brooklyn-nets-dramatic-win-over-76ers

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Long Island Nets defeat Osceola Magic, 122-119, on Dariq Whitehead three

Photo by Reuben Polansky-Shapiro/NBAE via Getty Images

Dariq Whitehead hit the game-winner, with five seconds left and both he, Drew Timme and Tyson Etienne all had big games. Can they make the playoffs>

Despite roster shuffling due to injuries on the big club, Long Island defeated Osceola in a thriller, 122-119, thanks to a dramatic 3-pointer by Brooklyn’s Dariq Whitehead that capped off a big game for the 20-year-old.

In fact, Whitehead played his best game of his G League season, perhaps since joining the Nets following the 2023 NBA Draft. Whitehead finished the game with a career-high 30 points, which not only led Long Island but was a game high. Then, with the game on the line, he took and made the shot...

Dariq Whitehead drains it from deep with under five seconds left to win it!@NetsDaily #StrongIsland pic.twitter.com/LUI89XNdVK

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) February 23, 2025​

The 6’7” 20-year-old wing shot the ball very well all night, connecting on 11 of his 17 attempts, draining eight out of his 12 shots from beyond the arc. Whitehead also picked up six rebounds and one assist in his 38 minutes on the court.

The game represented Whitehead’s G League highs for points, field goals and 3-pointers. His rebound total was only one off his season high and his minutes only two shy of his season high.

When asked post-game what was going through his head when he hit the shot, he told NetsDaily “Just confidence.”

Dariq Whitehead on his game winning three pointer, how he’s been feeling, his shooting performance, Tosan Evbuomwan, and more.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland pic.twitter.com/M4AgBXFIqe

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) February 24, 2025​

“Teammates and coaches, when they got the play in, and trying to call a timeout, they have the confidence in you to take that shot, so you’re going to take it. It was just to go out there and do what I need to do to win that game,” said Whitehead.

When asked about his ability to hit his shots and make smart shot selections, he told ND “It means a lot.”

“Teammates were finding me and they got the confidence in me to take those shots. Coaches did as well, so I just went in there and played with a lot of confidence.”

Whitehead also spoke about how he’s been feeling physically in his first full-season healthy. The Newark native underwent three surgeries between August 2022 and January 2024.

“I’m feeling good,” said Whitehead. “Each game, month-by-month, it’s slowly starting to get back to things I wouldn’t have been able to do a year and a half ago. Like I said, I haven’t had a summer yet since high school where I can be able to work on my body, work on my game, and get stronger. This season leading into this summer is going to be the first one. So, I’m looking forward to taking advantage of it and continuing to stack days.”

Brooklyn has already extended him through 2025-26 at a guaranteed $3.3 million.

Drew Timme continued to be a double-double machine for the Nets, as he notched 27 points, and 10 rebounds, which led the team. Timme also had a steal and two blocks to his credit. Timme shot the ball very well tonight, connecting on nine of his 12 attempts, including hitting two out of his three attempts from deep.

When asked post-game about his development and where he’s improved the most, Timme said the fit on Long Island and the “trust” the staff has in him is “awesome.” “It’s helped me as a player to just find my way, and honestly, I think my defense has gotten a lot better since I’ve been here.”

“I’ve always been able to score, but I’ve been rebounding more. In my defense, I’ve been more active, with more deflections, and a couple of blocks here and there. That’s because the staff is on me all the time about it. I need that. That’s good. That’s probably the biggest area of growth I’ve had.”

Drew Timme on his development, his performances lately, his driving forces, finding his shot from deep, and more.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland pic.twitter.com/IX0VtK1W6f

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) February 24, 2025​

Timme has been a double-double machine lately. Not only can he score, but he’s been able to find open teammates as well as rebound very well. “To get stats, you have to get wins and have to have good teammates. I think the way we’ve been playing and just sharing the ball, it just makes it easier to play.”

“I don’t feel like anyone forces bad shots. I think we all play off each other. Everyone is shining. If you look through our box score, everyone’s getting a piece of the pie, that’s what makes basketball so much fun. We’re a good group, we’re tight. I think that’s what makes it the easiest.”

When asked about his motivation behind these performances, Timme was frank.

“I want a call-up. That’s the point of the G-League. Develop and continue to get better and get to where you want to go, and where I want to go is the league, so if I could just come in and keep proving and keep being consistent, maybe one day it’ll happen. That’s the goal, that’s the dream, and that’s what I’m chasing.”

Timme noted he has worked on his shot from deep. “It’s never been known as my strength, but something I’ve been working on continuously. It’s not something that happened overnight. I’ve been working on it for the past three or four years. I’m just continuing to work on it. It’s what they do in the NBA. They just launch a bunch of threes. You have to either join the mold or not be a part of it.

“To get to where I want to go, you just kind of have to shoot more. Especially coming off a break, that’s been a little focused. I have to get a couple more up every game, I pass some up. It helps the team too, I’m able to drive, and when they come up on me it creates more shots for other people. It helps everyone.”

Aside from Whitehead and Timme, Tyson Etienne, Long Island’s reliable 6’2” shooting guard, had another solid showing, picking up 28 points. Etienne also had four rebounds and six assists.

Etienne who’s changed agents recently and is also hoping for a call-up has been shooting at a high rate of late, hitting 48.5% of his three’s over the last 10 games. He’s 25.

Tosan Evbuomwan finished the game fourth on the team in scoring, picking up 18 points in 25 minutes. He also had five rebounds, three assists, and a steal in his third game with Long Island.

Whitehead was asked about playing with Evbuomwan, He told ND “he handles himself very well.”

“I think he’s 23 years old, and he handles himself like he’s been in the league for 10 years,” says Whitehead. “Having him down here is great for us. It makes us a scarier team, as we get deeper into the playoff run and try to push forward.”

Long Island was without Reece Beekman who Terry Roberts start at point guard. Playing a very physical game, Roberts finished the game with two points and six rebounds but got his teammates involved finishing the game with 10 assists.

Similar to Friday’s game, Long Island went back and forth with Osceola to open up the game. The lead changed five times in the first quarter alone. Long Island trailed Osceola by seven points to start the second. The Nets shot over 50% in the second and shot over 70% from deep to change the tides of the game. Long Island took the eight-point lead into the half.

While Long Island continued their hot play in the third, Osceola battled back and outscored Long Island 32-30. However, Long Island kept their lead and entered the fourth up by 10. Both teams traded baskets in the fourth keeping the game close to the very end. Ultimately, Whitehead would hit the game-winning three to win it for Long Island.

When asked about the upcoming playoff push for Long Island, Whitehead kept it short and sweet “Just continue to put our heads down. We fought through some things, but we’re starting to get back on the right page. Just stay together and do what we came here to do.”

Timme expressed similar thoughts about the post-season.

“Sometimes we take our foot off the gas in these little spurts, and Moo (head coach Mfon Udofia) has been on us about it, but we’re just trying to stay engaged the whole game. Even tonight, we were up 20 in the third, and you have to give credit to the Magic, but we just eased up. Nobody’s going to give you a free win. Just continuing to keep that focus and edge the whole time.”

Long Island is currently three games out of the playoffs with 14 to play.

Osceola guard Ethan Thompson posted 29 points, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block in 42 minutes. Magic forward Jarrett Culver recorded 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (9-11) look to continue their playoff push as they start their road trip against the Westchester Knicks on Tuesday, February 25th. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on ESPN+, as well as MSG2.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets 122, Osceola Magic 119 - G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/23...sceola-magic-122-119-on-dariq-whitehead-three

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets vs. Washington Wizards preview: Getting vengeance for a recent loss

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Last time the Nets faced the Wizards, they were looking for their fourth straight win. Didn’t happen. Tonight in the nation’s capital, Brooklyn will try to rectify things.

Really happy for Nic Claxton receiving his first ever game winner to lead Brooklyn to a 105-103 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers, but the Nets now hover in a complicated seeding in the NBA standings. Call it betwixt and between.

The Nets now have a record of 21-35, one win away from tying the Chicago Bulls for 10th place in the East and the play-in tournament. A 10th place spot is the combination of both being known as a semi bad team but still good enough to beat any team on any given night (perfectly describes the Nets).

What makes matters more complicated is that the Nets will be taking on the Washington Wizards, an organization that has yet to gain double digits in the winning column. Going up against a team like this sparks up one question. Are the Nets committed to the tank or to winning? I couldn’t tell you. As Lucas Kaplan said a couple of weeks back, it’s been confusing But is there one question that can be answered you may ask? This game is very winnable…

Where to Watch​

Catch the game at 7:00 PM on the YES Network and NBA League Pass.

Injury Report​

No Cam Thomas (hamstring), D’Angelo Russell (ankle), Noah Clowney (ankle), or DeAnthony Melton (torn ACL.) Dariq Whitehead and Tosan Evbuomwan will be in Long Island where they’re trying to get into the G League post-season.

For the Wizards, rookie Alex Sarr (ankle), newly acquired Khris Middleton (ankle), also newly acquired Marcus Smart (finger). Malcolm Brogdon (ankle), and Saddiq Bey knee will all be out.

The Game​

There’s nothing really to say for the Wizards other than they are really, really… really bad. But wait! That is not the end of the preview. Despite that, they beat the Nets back in February 5. It wasn’t even close, 119-102. Other than the Cleveland Cavaliers who are on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Wizards are the only team to beat the Nets in the month of February!

As the Nets found out back then, Wizards have a decent young core that they work with, including the number one pick Alex Sarr, who has not been doing bad with 11.0 points a game on 39% from the field. Kyshawn George and Bub Carrington are also rookies who are finding their way in the league.

With all the losing, the Wizards do have a leg up on possibly getting those kids out in Rutgers who Sean Marks (and every GM) loves so much, so maybe that will create some motivation for the Nets to win… or lose? See why this is confusing!

Still without D’Angelo Russell, the Nets have done a good job utilizing the combination of Killian Hayes, Reece Beekman and Trendon Watford, a 10-day, two-way and vets minimum player. Watford, who had another good game with 16 points and six assists, has done more than enough when he takes up the point guard duties and makes it his job to do the right thing. And of course, when Claxton is giving you five blocks on the defensive end, good things will happen. If the Nets can be successful on both ends of the floor like this past weekend, good things will happen... or is it bad things? Depends on your perspective.

Player To Watch: Jordan Poole​

Poole is putting up really good number despite the lackluster season from his team, averaging almost 21 points a game on shooting splits of 41.5 % from the field and 36.7 % from beyond the arc, including a 42 point outburst he had against the Pacers right before the All Star break. Say what you want about him, but Poole is talented. He will definitely be looking to let things fly without too much defensive pressure in the backcourt.

Wizards head coach Brian Keefe, a veteran of the Brooklyn coaching staff, had this to say recently about what he wants to see from the 25-year-old the rest of this season.

“The one thing I wanted for Jordan was to be himself,” Keefe said.

“He just has continued to build on that, because we want him to be aggressive, because he can create for himself, but he also really can create for others. That’s what I think we want. And then he’s shown that, and he’s stepped into that, and he’s a guy who loves to compete and play. He’s always out there. He’s always working on his craft.”

From the Vault​

Wizard fans are having an awful time, a far cry from nearly 50 years ago when the city was wildly in love with them. Known then as the Bullets, they were the first team to visit the White House after winning a championship. Jimmy Carter was President who initiated the tradition, which started as merely a hometown celebration of a big win.

To honor Carter who died late last year at the age of 100, the Monumental Sports Network, parent of the Wizards posted this tribute and memory of their 1977-78 team.

ICYMI, the Philadelphia Eagles, the first team to win big in the second Trump administration, has decided they will not accept a visit to the White House. A lot of traditions are dying at the White House.

More reading: Bullets Forever and SBNation NBA

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
• Washington Wizards Game Notes - Washington Wizards
• Wizards look to defeat Nets again to end skid - NBA
• Washington plays Brooklyn on home slide - AP

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/24...s-preview-getting-vengeance-for-a-recent-loss

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

3 Takeaways from the Brooklyn Nets Humdrum Loss to Washington Wizards

Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Nothing much changed tonight. Nets lost to the league’s worst team for the second time and it didn’t effect the standings or lottery odds. Boring.

The Brooklyn Nets vs the Washington Wizards on a Monday night in the dog days of the season was just as messy as you thought it would be. Messy, but fun.

Some chippy play, a career-shooting night for Ziaire Williams, 41 collective turnovers, and enough Marcus Smart and Khris Middleton nostalgia for the die-hard Bucks and Celtics fans that tuned in — the game brought something for everyone. That even includes all you tank commanders out there hoping to collect as many Ls as possible right now.

Marcus Smart. Alright. pic.twitter.com/dqwebg4Zmx

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 25, 2025​

It all boiled into a 107-99 final score in favor of the home team, giving them their 10th win of the season and forcing Brooklyn to take a sudden step back from the Play-In after tip-toeing closer and closer to it all month. An eventual retreat from Brooklyn was always expected, but not at the hands of these guys.

Unforeseen or not, a loss is still a loss, and from those we often learn the most. In our last look at Washington before things get really interesting in terms of lottery positioning, here are a few things to takeaway.

Reliance on Effort Can be Double-Edged ​

Brooklyn’s defensive renaissance in their season’s latter half can largely be attributed to how they decisively apply pressure and then recover. That’s accomplished with their bigs in the drop or wings on the weak side who hedge on ball-screens, positioning themselves to blitz yet also recover in time to defend the pass out.

But that “in-between” positioning by the off-ball man is just where things start. When teams inevitably key into this and begin swinging around the rock to beat the double or catch the hedging defender off guard, the rest of the team needs to quickly with their closeouts. That side of things almost always comes down to hustle.

Nets doing a much better job of doubling and then recovering here in the second. pic.twitter.com/yG3lZcZAaM

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 13, 2025​

Tonight, Brooklyn didn’t complete that side of the equation for much of the first half. As you’d expect, they got burned for it.

Wizards have been able to get to the short-roll, getting the ball in the middle of the floor. Back-side rotations have been poor.

Jordi Fernández has taken all five starters out, down 21-7: pic.twitter.com/u3m89Fl0LH

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 25, 2025​

While the Nets also shot north of 40% from three in the first, the Wizards went into the break with an eight-point advantage after going a blistering 10-16 from deep. They stretched around Brooklyn’s defense like a small tortilla on a full-sized plate. As long as they kept it up, you knew it would eventually rip.

Khris Bub pic.twitter.com/E56uL3DAuE

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) February 25, 2025​

When so much of your game, particularly your defense, relies on your ability to work harder than your opponent can think rather than your personnel, bringing it every night is vital to your success. The Nets didn’t for long enough and that’s why they missed out on more of that.

The second half’s defense sure had its moments, particularly when they forced 15 of Washington’s 23 turnovers, eventually snatching a season-high 14 steals for the game. But that early hole made their second-half surge a comeback effort rather than one where they inflate a lead. That, plus a dry spell in the fourth, equals a loss.

We Can Only Get Away with the PG Rotation for So Long​

When you beat Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George with Killian Hayes and Trendon Watford as your point guards, you can and should feel a bit giddy. That goes for the fans, coaching staff. You played with house money and you won.

But for as much as those two have surpassed expectations in the past week or so, at the end of the day, that’s a guy playing somewhat out of position and another guy who was out of the league until a few days ago in the driver’s seat for you. Brooklyn could only get away with that for so long, and tonight, we were told that the buck stops in Washington.

“We were not able to have good enough offense in the fourth quarter to win the game,” Jordi Fernández said postgame. “And that was obvious, right? 12 points in the fourth, you don’t give yourself a chance.”

Indeed, Brooklyn only putting in a dozen in the final frame ultimately sunk their ship even after patching their holes at the defensive end. While Hayes and Watford each took turns looking to get Cam Johnson looks down the stretch, the Washington defense was all over it. Watford became especially frustrated, picking up a tech late as well.

It’s easy to forget Marcus Smart is on the Wizards — so it’s also easy to forget that Watford was dealing with a DPOY out there tonight. But once you remind yourself of that, it all becomes pretty damn understandable, so cut him some slack.

This game has gotten real testy, and now Marcus Smart flips up off the floor after forcing the turnover: pic.twitter.com/rh1C4DnHWW

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 25, 2025​

Once more, I know some folks around here like to root for losses, but to go for the win, the team could have used a more poised ball-handler and one more accustomed to creating their own shot if needed to stretch out the defense and make the right reads down the stretch.

Perhaps it’s a bit dramatic to say of the latter because this was only his second game out, but Cam Thomas and D’Angelo Russell, you were dearly missed this evening.

Expect the Unexpected​

Only three other teams in the East had more wins than the Brooklyn Nets in the month of February coming into tonight. I know it’s the shortest month of the year and it’s not even over yet — but even with that said — that’s something you probably didn’t expect to read about the team this year. I sure as hell know I never expected to write it.

So a surging team should beat the worst one the league, right? The snappy thing to say here would be “WRONG,” but that’d be inaccurate too. Yes, the Nets should have beaten Washington tonight. But...what should happen never does with these guys.

By all accounts preseason, the Nets should have around 10 wins right now — not 20+. They should be getting blown out by most of their opponents — not making them sweat into the game’s dwindling minutes. They should be thinking solely about the draft right now — not sneaking through Play-In’s back door.

You see, we’re getting to a point now where this backwardness feels like a theme for the season. There’s no wiggle room on it either, no matter if that means things land in a negative or positive sense for the team.

So, you think 56 games is enough time to think you have a basketball team figured out? WRONG. There you go.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/25...oklyn-nets-humdrum-loss-to-washington-wizards

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

A night in Philadelphia: Brooklyn Nets fans brought it

I caught up with the 60-fan contingent that made its way from Brooklyn to Philadelphia last weekend. The big win left everyone feeling good.

Fandom can best be explained as irrational exuberance. Win or lose, fans stay loyal and the best teams reward them in different ways. For some long-time Brooklyn Nets fans, those rewards include an annual bus trip from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, and this year, the season’s most dramatic win, a 105-103 buzzer beater.

For the 60 fans who made the two-hour trip across two rivers and down the N.J. Turnpike, the win was the best moment of the long trip but it was filled with other moments, too, from trivia contests on the bus ride to the presence of a Nets celebrity ... Mr. Whammy!

.

The trip is a bit of gratitude shown every year to a group of the team’s long-time season ticket holders. The night includes free transportation, a ticket to the game and a stop at a local establishment for a pregame happy hour.

“The Nets have a season ticket holder trip every year and we’ve been coming out here every year since 2012-13,” said Dawn Risueno, who’s famous for her own cross-country jaunts with husband Richard Johnson.

As Mr. Whammy, aka Bruce Reznick, said, Nets games in Philly are always an event enhanced by the natural rivalry and the City of Brotherly Love’s unique fan base.

“Philadelphia crowds are always wonderful,” the 89-year-old superfan said with just a touch of sarcasm. “Lovely people.”

As is often the case, Nets fans made their voice heard, so much so that Jordi Fernandez noted it in the post-game press conference

“When you’re on the road it feels like you’re against the world,” said the coach. ”Seeing people cheer for you, especially when you win this way in the last second. It’s really cool to celebrate with the fans who were supporting us.”

After that final tip-in, it’s easy to say a good time was had by all.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/25/24372554/a-night-in-philadelphia-brooklyn-nets-fans-brought-it

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Long Island Nets defeat Westchester Knicks, 119-117, but lose Dariq Whitehead

Photo by Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images

The Nets won the Battle of the ‘Burbs Tuesday night and got within a win of .500 but Dariq Whitehead fell on his right leg and spent the rest of the game in crutches.

The Long Island Nets returned to the court on Tuesday night, hoping to stack wins as they make a push for a playoff spot. This time, Long Island found themselves in White Plains to take on the Westchester Knicks in a “Battle of the ‘Burbs” match-up.

Long Island came away with the gritty two-point win, 119-117 and celebrated Kendall Brown’s new two-way contract. But the big news coming out of this game was the loss of Dariq Whitehead. Early on in the second quarter, Whitehead took a hard foul and apparently injured his right leg. He remained in the game despite being in some obvious pain. But when the Nets came back on the court to begin the third, there was no sign of Whitehead.

Later, he was seen on the bench, but in crutches. The severity of his injury remains uncertain but Whitehead has had a series of foot and shin injuries that led to three surgeries between August 2022 and January 2024.

Whitehead was putting together a good game for himself before he went down. He picked up 10 points and connected on three of his six shot attempts, including hitting his one attempt from deep and both his attempts from the foul line. This comes two days after he had his G League high of 30 points.

If he’s healthy, Whitehead could play a pivotal role in their potential playoff push.

Meanwhile, Drew Timme had another lights-out performance against Westchester. Timme finished the game with 26 points, and 12 boards. The 6’10” 24-year-old connected on 12 of his 19 shot attempts but missed his 3-pointers. Timme continues to be just that, a double-double machine.

While Kendall Brown was signed to two-way contract for Brooklyn earlier in the day Timme continues to make a case for why he, too, should be in the NBA. He told NetsDaily last game that his driving force and motivation for all of these great performances was quite simple he “wants to be in the league.”

Long Island had a couple of unlikely players step up tonight in the absence of Tosan Evbuomwan and Reece Beekman and following Whitehead’s departure. Mark Armstrong, the 6’2” 21-year-old South Orange, N.J. native had a big game. Armstrong picked up 24 points, connecting on 11 of his 17 shot attempts, including two of four of his shot from three.

Tyson Etienne, himself a candidate for a two-way elsewhere in the NBA, had another big shooting night. The 6’2” 25-year-old finished with 20 points, shooting 7-of-15, including 6-of-11 from deep and handed out eight assists.

Perhaps the best performance of the night, though, came from Terry Roberts, the starting point guard for Long Island. Roberts finished the game with a triple-double, picking up 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Roberts also had three steals.

Brown who will remain with Long Island at least through Wednesday had a typical game of him with 17 points, nine boards and three assists.

The two teams opened the first quarter with close to 10 lead changes in the quarter. Despite keeping it close, Long Island dropped back at the end of the first and entered the second quarter down by seven. Long Island brought the game closer in the second and entered the half down by just three.

The third quarter continues to be the best one for Long Island as they took the lead and then some. The Nets entered the fourth quarter up by nine. After the two teams went back and forth one final time, but Long Island held on and picked up the gritty two-point win.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (10-11) return to the court on Thursday, as they look to get back to .500 and gear up for their playoff push, to take on the Austin Spurs.

While we don’t know if Dariq Whitehead will play, stay tuned to NetsDaily’s and Scott Mitchell’s Twitter for news on the Whitehead injury and more. The game tips off at noon ET and can be watched on ESPN+.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets 119, Westchester 117 - G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/26...ester-knicks-119-117-but-lose-dariq-whitehead

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder preview: Nets even more undermanned!

Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images

The best in the west comes into Barclays Center as healthy as they’ve been all year. The Nets not so much. In addition to their walking wounded, Nic Claxton is suspended.

Well… I was wrong in the last preview. It was not winnable. From what Coach Jordi Fernandez described as a game where the Nets just didn’t defend and come out with the intensity that they usually do, Brooklyn ended up falling to the Wizards 107-99.

Now, with that being said, I was not totally wrong. With the Brooklyn Nets now being pushed back to the 11th seed in the East, the loss can push hopes in the other direction, to where the Nets will fall in the lottery. I had to make this point since I am writing this after reading Jonathan Wasserman’s NBA Mock Draft on Bleacher Report. But let’s get back to Wednesday’s matchup.

Tonight, the Nets will be taking on the Western Conference powerhouse in the Oklahoma City Thunder. Luckily for Brooklyn, the Thunder are coming off a hard fought back-to-back against Minnesota. Both games were high scoring affairs, a win at home and a loss on the road. On the Nets side of things, they are even more undermanned than usual. So, their energy will be critical to any good outcome.

Where To Watch​

Check out the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass.

Injury Report​

New two-way signee Kendall Brown will serve time in Long Island while Cam Thomas (hamstring), D’Angelo Russell (ankle), Noah Clowney (ankle), and DeAnthony Melton (out for the season) remain out. Nic Claxton will be serving his one game suspension for getting his sixth flagrant foul point late in the Wizards game. And if that wasn’t enough, Cam Johnson is questionable with a lower back contusion.

Dariq Whitehead will be unavailable as well as well after suffering a tough injury in Long Island’s contest last night. We’re still waiting word on the severity but he spent the second half of the Nets vs. Knicks G League game on crutches.

One positive: Tosan Evbuomwan, who the Nets dispatched to Long Island to preserve his two-way minutes, returns to Brooklyn tonight.

For OKC, Nikola Topic (knee) and Ajay Mitchell (G-League) will be out.

The Game​

Despite the fear of potentially suffering back to back losses for the second time this season, OKC still sits in a comfortable position for this game. They are healthy other than rookie point guard Nikola Topic who’s out for the season but even he’s been seen putting up shots recently prior to games.

In the first game between the two teams on January 19, OKC destroyed Brooklyn, shooting 61.9% from the field and 61.1% from 3-point range (11 of 18) in the first half as they built a 69-49 lead. The Thunder continued to dominate in the second half, expanding its lead to 29 points in the closing minutes before winning by a final tally of 127-101.

Stretched thin up front used their prodigious 3-point shooting, hitting 9-of-13 from deep in the first quarter. Isaiah Joe finished with eight threes. It’s basically a team without any offensive flaws and a first rate coach,

The Nets were a bit undermanned in that one too missing Ben Simmons and Cam Thomas (who has now played only two games since Thanksgiving) but they basically had a complete roster otherwise. Tonight, not so much.

Indeed, the Nets will have to bring another level of intensity to compete with the Thunder’s electric offense. Eyes will be on Day’Ron Sharpe, as he will have to take on the duties of being the man in the middle on both ends of the floor.

Ziare Williams hopefully can provided some valuable minutes. He led the way for the Nets against the Wizards with 19 points but has been inconsistent.

Player to Watch​

No surprise but it’s hard to imagine Shai Gilgeous Alexander not winning the MVP. Alexander has been nothing short of spectacular this season. Other than launching his signature shoe (to go with his sweet outfits,) SGA is averaging a league-leading 32.4 points on 52% shooting.

Rather than recite his recent statistics, just take a look at what he did Monday night, even in a loss to the T’Wolves...

Represent The Canadians

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | vs. Minnesota

39 POINTS
3 THREE POINTERS
10 REBOUNDS
8 ASSISTS pic.twitter.com/gJRoLHCkEY

— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) February 25, 2025​

Expect some hugs between him and Jordi Fernandez, his Team Canada coach, but nothing more than that.

More reading: Loud City and SBNation NBA

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
• Oklahoma City Thunder Game Notes - Oklahoma City Thunder
• Thunder hope to learn from collapse, move on to face Nets - NBA
• Nets to host Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder - AP
• Nets’ Nic Claxton gets one-game suspension for sixth flagrant foul point - Dan Martin - New York Post
• The curious case of Cam Thomas - John Torenli - Brooklyn Eagle

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/26...ma-city-thunder-preview-even-more-undermanned

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets drop potential upset of season, lose to Oklahoma City Thunder 129-121

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

It’s not in the nature of a true competitor to be in awe of a moral victory, but Brooklyn’s tonight was among the best you’ll see all season

With only a handful of wins this year, despite some tank commanders seeing it as a bushel, the Brooklyn Nets faced arguably the most intimidating opponent their season has left to offer this evening.

It wasn’t just a David vs Goliath matchup, but one where the former even had his stones and sling taken away. Pitted against the aura-loaded, West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn had to trot out there without Nic Claxton, serving a one-game suspension, and D’Angelo Russell, who missed another one due to his ankle sprain. Not to mention Cam Thomas who may be back soon but not tonight. The fact that OKC also stuck Brooklyn with a 25+ point loss roughly a month ago didn’t help their odds either.

But in a year where the word “fight” has echoed around the Barclays Center like a mantra, Brooklyn put up their best, and while they couldn’t deliver the same inspiring ending as that age old tale, every chapter outside of that final one was as motivational as anything we’ve seen in the Barclays Center all year.

Jetting out to a 30-12 lead after the first seven minute of play, the Nets got in front so fast that their fans didn’t even have a chance to conceptualize the upset possibly unfolding before them. In that stretch, Brooklyn shot a blistering 6-of-10 from three, getting nine points from Day’Ron Sharpe who started tonight for the first time this season.

Nets have started this one 6-10 from deep courteous of this DHO and pop from Day'Ron Sharpe. pic.twitter.com/I8dBOXzyCE

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) February 27, 2025​

The Nets also found success blitzing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the pick-and-roll. At times, SGA got Isaiah Hartenstein the ball in the post, but at others got it to Brooklyn defenders. Gilgeous-Alexander coughed it up three times in the opening period. On the opposite end, Brooklyn was as crisp as they come, dishing their most assists in a period this season with 13 on 15 made baskets. They’d go on to finish the game with 31 dimes, tied for their fifth most in a contest all year.

As many of their early leads do, the question for Brooklyn and their fans became, “how long will it last.” It looked like we’d have our answer early when the Thunder opened up the second on a 21-12 run, making it a 50-52 game.

But the Thunder, and all their NYC-based fans, eager to watch and cheer on their team in the only chance they’d have this year to see them at a decent price, would need to wait longer.

With their lead on life support, Ziaire Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe gave it a shot of adrenaline. Thanks to Sharpe mining extra chance points and Williams unloading a clip of 3-pointers, the pair helped Brooklyn close the second quarter on a 24-11 run.

“If I had a dollar for every time they say shoot a damn three, I’d be a freaking millionaire,” Ziaire Williams said postgame after helping the Nets hoist up a franchise record 61 triples. “Coach just wants us to shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot again...When we broke down the huddle right before the game started, he said if we don’t get up 45 then he’s benching the whole team, or whoever plays in the game, he’s benching us. So at least we won’t be benched next game.”

ZIAIRE WILLIAMS IS ON A HEATER RN! pic.twitter.com/vgryZRrqFF

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 27, 2025​

So with Day’Day and ZDub in the cab, the Nets bulldozed over the Thunder and all the pro-tank fans into halftime with a 76-61 lead. In the shadow of the league’s top ranked defense, they put up their most points in a half all year.

It was a banner night for guys with the last name Sharpe. One gave us what might be the dunk of the season. The other gave us a career-best scoring night, as Day’Ron dropped 25 points, dished five dimes, grabbed 15 rebounds, and swatted three shots while going 8-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep.

“I’m very happy with him,” Fernández said. “Proud of the game that he had. He was amazing and I’m sure that even though we didn’t win the game, everybody’s happy for him because he’s worked hard, and now he saw this opportunity, and he took advantage of it.”

He joined Victor Wembanyama as the only players this season to tally 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, multiple steals, multiple blocks, and multiple 3-pointers made in a game.

“I’m just a beast on them boards,” Sharpe said. “I don’t really think nobody can mess with me in the paint when it comes to that. Like tell y’all every time, no matter how big, no matter how tall, it’s just what I do. You know what I’m saying? You’re gonna have to send three people to box me out. But I just play hard.”

“Yeah, for sure. Day’Ron’s a beast,” Williams agreed. “He’s a double-double machine. He works real hard, man. Weight room, court. He’s just a great guy to be around. A great locker room guy. Always making guys laugh and smile. So definitely proud of him. This is just the start.”

Posting 55/50 splits also at the break, Brooklyn’s offense, off in a galaxy far, far away by that point, was long overdue for a fall back to Earth. That reentry took place in the third, where the Nets shot just 5-of-19 from the field and 4-of-15 from deep, allowing OKC to put the pressure back on Brooklyn.

Although that poor shooting indeed allowed the Thunder to cut into the lead, the Nets rallied the other way, pulling down four offensive rebounds leading to 10 second chance points in the period. That allowed them to stay afloat by six points despite their crash into the ocean.

In the fourth, they finally sank. But even there in that period, it still took longer than you’d expect for Oklahoma City to jump in front.

Once more attacking the offensive glass, Brooklyn managed to keep its lead alive for almost the entire quarter’s first half. Brooklyn grabbed eight more offensive rebounds in the fourth, leading to seven more second chance points. It wasn’t until Keon Johnson got caught late biting on a Jalen Williams floater at the 7:38 mark of the game that the lead dipped in OKC’s favor.

That changing of the guards seemed to snap everyone back into reality. After a pair of steals turned buckets in the backcourt from Cason Wallace and some transition takes from Williams, there was a double-digit lead for the visitors now on the scoreboard. The guys on the court remembered who they were and how this one was supposed to go.

While Brooklyn’s efforts to preserve their lead remain worthy of applause, it vanished just as suddenly as it arrived in the first. Goliath won, though it wasn’t easy.

Final: Oklahoma City Thunder 129, Brooklyn Nets 121

Injury Updates​

Jordi Fernández doesn’t often give us much beyond what the Net injury report does — but he did give us some news tonight pertaining to Brooklyn’s top bucket-getter.

“CT is day to day, so you guys will see him soon. I cannot say the exact day, but he’s done a great job,” the coach said pregame. “Like we talked about, he’s played five-on-five and looks good. Obviously getting readjusted to a real game, it doesn’t happen right away, but excited to have him back at some point soon.”

Fernández also said that D’Angelo Russell and Noah Clowney are “doing great” that they’d “probably talk about having them on the court some point next week.” He wasn’t able to provide an update on Dariq Whitehead, who sustained a leg injury out on Long Island yesterday, stating that they’re still evaluating him.

Milestone Watch​

• Day’Ron Sharpe’s career-highs tonight included points (25) and free throws made (7). He tied career highs in threes made (2) and assists (5). His 15 rebounds were a season high.
• Nets as a team made a season high 22 threes tonight. Killian Hayes made a career-high-tying five threes. Keon Johnson made a career-high-tying four threes.
• Cam Johnson dished out a career-high seven assists.
• Sharpe joined Derrick Coleman (2/17/94 at Boston) as the only Nets with 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, multiple steals, multiple blocks and multiple 3-pointers made in a game in team history
• Tonight’s game was the fourth time in franchise history that all five starters have made multiple 3-pointers (11/26/23 vs. CHI: Dinwiddie, Bridges, C.Johnson, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, 11/4/23 vs. BOS: Dinwiddie, Thomas, Bridges, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, 4/30/21 vs. POR: Irving, Shamet, J.Harris, J.Green, Griffin)

Next Up​

Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Brooklyn will play host to another visitor from out west on Friday evening when the Portland Trail Blazers come to town. The Nets sewed up Rip City last time out by 132-114 score to split what could have been a 13-game losing streak in January.

Like Brooklyn, Portland’s stolen some wins of late, partially at the expense of their own rebuild. Since January 19th, they came into tonight tied with the Thunder for the fifth most wins in the association.

• Boxscore: Oklahoma City Thunder 129, Brooklyn Nets 121 - NBA
• Game Highlights: Oklahoma City Thunder 129, Brooklyn Nets 121 (Video) - NBA
• Frank Isola on Nets’ second half (Video) - Chris Shearn & Frank Isola - YES Network
• Jordi Fernández on the turning point of the game (Video) - YES Network
• Day’Ron Sharpe on tough loss to the Thunder (Video) - YES Network
• Thunder bounce back from stunning collapse with fourth-quarter blitz to beat the Nets 129-121 - Brian Mahoney - AP
• Thunder escape 18-point deficit, race past Nets - Reuters
• Nets’ upset dreams crushed by incredible late Thunder run - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets put forth valiant effort against Thunder, but fall 129-121 in heartbreaker - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Nets Notebook: Cam Thomas considered day-to-day, return expected ‘soon’ - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• What are the Nets getting in two-way signee Kendall Brown? - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Nets set franchise record despite frustrating loss to Thunder - Erik Slater - Clutch Points

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/26...129-121-dayron-sharpe-shai-gilgeous-alexander

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Long Island Nets fall to Austin Spurs, 124-121, as Tyson Etienne scores 34

Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images

It was another case of the Long Island Nets jumping out to a double-digit lead only to surrender it by game’s end.

The Long Island Nets returned to the court Thursday afternoon for a matinee game in Texas against the best team in the West, the 14-6 Austin Spurs, but their three-game winning streak ended with a tough 124-121 loss.

The game pitted two of the hottest teams in the G League with the Spurs on a four-game winning streak. After a close game that once again saw Long Island lose an early lead, Austin held on to win.

While you could point fingers at the referees who Nets players and coaches felt made some absolutely abysmal calls, Long Island did surrender a 13-point lead in the span of two minutes early in the game. It was nothing new. As Drew Timme told NetsDaily last week Long Island has to do a better job of “putting their foot on the gas.” Ultimately, this proved to be Long Island’s Achilles heel in Thursday’s game. However, it wasn’t all bad.

Tyson Etienne continued his fantastic play, while apparently auditioning for a two-way job in the NBA. The 6’2”, 25-year-old combo guard led the team with 34 points, and had 24 points in the first half alone. Despite being held scoreless for the entire third quarter, Etienne picked up 10 more points in the fourth.

Etienne shot the ball very well, connecting on 13 of his 20 shot attempts, including hitting six of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Etienne also had seven rebounds, and one assist. This performance comes after rumors all week of Etienne in line for a two-way contract somewhere in the NBA.

Terry Roberts, who’s been filling in for Killian Hayes since his promotion to Brooklyn, had a big game as well. One year ago almost to the day, Roberts was in a Philadelphia hospital on a ventilator suffering from a gun shot wound to the chest. But fast forward to Thursday and Roberts picked up 17 points, seven rebounds, and a whopping 13 assists vs. Austin.

Roberts has been picking up where Hayes left off. Not only has Long Island native been showing he can score, connecting on eight of his 11 shots, he has also shown an ability to get his teammates involved picking up big assist numbers every night. Indeed, in his last game prior to Thursday, Roberts registered his first triple double with 10 points, rebounds and assists.

Kendall Brown, Brooklyn’s newest two-way signee, finish third on the team in scoring with 16 points. He even picked up five rebounds and a block. Oshae Brissett had 15 points, while Drew Timme had 14 and five rebounds ... far from his best game.

Meanwhile, the team got some good news in the form of a Brooklyn Nets injury report. Dariq Whitehead is listed as out with “right knee soreness” for Brooklyn’s home game Saturday. Considering that he had taken a hard fall two nights ago and sat out the second half of the game in crutches and street clothes, that’s the best possible news for him and Long Island.

The first quarter started as a back and forth battle between the two teams. However, it ended with Long Island taking a 10-point lead into the second. Long Island continued their hot shooting to take a seven point lead into the second. However, Austin was able to make the score closer as they outscored Long Island, 37-34.

Both teams continued their quick pace, as Long Island was once again outscored, 35-34. However, Long Island was able to take a six-point lead into the final quarter of play. This is where it all fell apart for Long Island as they were outscored by the largest margin of the game, 26-17.

Malachi Flynn led the Spurs with 30 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Jamaree Bouyea followed with 27 points, while Osayi Osifo recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (10-12) look to get back to their winning ways as they stay in Texas for a showdown with the Texas Legends (7-13) on Saturday, the front end of back to back. Saturdays’ game tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on the NBA G-League and Long Island Nets respective websites.

• Boxscore: Austin Spurs 124, Long Island Nets 121 - G League
• Spurs Outlast Nets, 124-121 - G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/27...stin-spurs-124-121-as-tyson-etienne-scores-34

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

FILM STUDY: Day’Ron Sharpe has arrived

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Following the best game of Day’Ron Sharpe’s career — a statement game at that — we analyze his play, and explain how he’s gotten himself to this position.

At Media Day over one season ago, (then) Head Coach Jacque Vaughn and Sean Marks sat at a joint podium, fielding questions on the 2023-24 Brooklyn Nets and how they would steer the ship toward a playoff spot.

Despite some optimism around the squad, there was one pressing concern, one that had existed since the Nets had played in Newark. They were a skinny bunch, and predictably, seemed doomed to struggle on the glass, the one issue that predated, plagued, and postdated the Clean Sweep Era.

Vaughn mentioned one player as part of the potential solution: “I think Day’Ron Sharpe gets an early look and see how he can impose his will not only helping us, I don’t know, put things back to neutral by offensive rebounding, but at the same time, being big and a force for us at the rim. So he’s a guy that probably will garner some minutes early and see that response.”

For whatever Vaughn’s shortcomings as a head coach were, his candor in press conferences is sorely missed on the beat today. In September 2023, it was a genuine risk to give Day’Ron Sharpe consistent regular-season minutes.

It’s not that the UNC product hadn’t earned them, per sé, but Sharpe certainly hadn’t impressed in his first couple years. Though a penchant for offensive rebounding was never in doubt, Sharpe was a drop-coverage-only center who struggled to move his feet and was often doomed by poor positioning and a lack of vertical explosion.

Though players and coaches around the organization (and Sharpe himself) praised his physical transformation heading into year 3, Day’Ron had a ways to go. Those same athletic limitations, at only 6’9”, also hampered his play on the other end. Per Cleaning the Glass, 2021’s 29th overall pick only finished 61% of his shots at the rim in his first two seasons, accompanied by players like Dario Šarić and Aleksei Pokuševski.

For many reasons, September 2023 feels like a lifetime ago, but especially for Day’Ron Sharpe.

On Wednesday night, he played the best game of his professional career, announcing to the larger NBA world that he is ready to get paid this summer, and any team would improve by adding him to the roster. Starting for the suspended Nic Claxton, he put up 25/15/5/2/3 on 8-of-10 shooting, including two 3-pointers, and 7-of-7 from the line.

He was Brooklyn’s best player by far, and the best big on the court in a game that included Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Now, it’s the NBA. Anybody can have a night. But for Sharpe, it was the culmination of two years of steady but significant improvements. Those two 3-pointers were just the pair of cherries on top, as he guarded ball-screens 40 feet out, protected the rim, excelled in the dribble-handoff game, and of course, had a full serving of glass.

Below, I watch and analyze his best possession from Wednesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and explain how Day’Ron Sharpe has turned himself into a positive NBA player, no small feat for a backup big on the fringe of a rotation just 16 months ago.

Day'Ron Sharpe just had, undoubtedly, the best game of his career in his first start of the season. He has turned into a legit player.

Here's a video of a ton of his possessions last night, and analysis of how it exemplifies his year-over-year progression: pic.twitter.com/j4p2jLSm0N

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) February 28, 2025​

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/27/24374581/brooklyn-nets-video-analysis-dayron-sharpe-has-arrived

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: Portland Trail Blazers at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 p.m. ET

Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images

Nets enter tonight 1.5 games back of a play-in seed.

The Nets dropped a 76 piece in the first half against the Thunder. The starting lineup was Killian Hayes, Cam Johnson, Keon Johnson, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Ziaire Williams. Jordi Fernandez is coaching his ass off. Nets players take pride in being the underdog. And none care about a tank.

Law of average came into play and Brooklyn lost, but even with the loss, they remain close enough to fight for a play-in spot with 24 games left. Tonight, it’s a team in a similar scenario — a team that was bottoming out most of the season until catching fire over the past month.

***

NETS VS. BLAZERS​

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Opponent: Portland Trail Blazers (26-33)

Tune In: YES Network; WFAN Radio

***

GAME PREVIEW | NET INCOME​

Injury Report: Cam Thomas, the Nets leading scorer (24.7 points) will be available after sitting for two months with a hamstring strain. And in another piece of good news, Dariq Whitehead’s diagnosis after a bad fall in a Long Island Nets game is only right knee soreness not as feared something worse. And Nic Claxton’s one-day suspension is over.

Still, the Nets remain a bit undermanned with Noah Clowney and D’Angelo Russell (both ankle sprains,) DeAnthony Melton (torn ACL) and the aforementioned Whitehead out with injuries. Two of the Nets three two-ways, Tosan Evbuoumwan and Kendall Brown, remain in Long Island.

For the Blazers, Robert Williams (knee) is out while Deni Avdija (quad) and Jerami Grant (knee) are questionable.

The Game: When last the two teams met, back on January 15, the Nets broke a five game losing streak in dramatic fashion, doing a number on the Blazers, 132-114. But the Blazers had a big saving grace. Scoot Henderson, the No. 3 pick back in 2023, finally had the game Blazer fans — and front office — were hoping for, scoring 39 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including 8-of-10 from deep. Breakout doesn’t begin to tell story. Relief does. Since then Portland has played well, going 13-7 with wins over Bucks, Suns (twice) and Timberwolves. They’ve won their last three on their East Coast road trip and are four and a half out of the final play-in spot with 24 to play. Difficult but doable. Henderson hasn’t matched his performance vs. the Nets but is shooting better than 40% from deep. Progress.

***

Please be respectful with your comments. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/28...nd-trail-blazers-at-brooklyn-nets-7-30-p-m-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

3 Takeaways from the Brooklyn Nets snoozer vs Trail Blazers

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This is the 19-win team we dreamed of. Yes, it was a nightmare.

Referring to the Brooklyn Nets 2024-25 season as “odd” is perhaps the most political, yet still true take one can have on the campaign. Working to establish a winning standard — but overachieving at it to the point that they’re hindering their other goal of building for the future — it’s pulled us all in different directions with every step.

But for as odd as its been, it’s one they haven’t walked alone. Also the winners of a few too many games to pursue franchise-altering draft talent, yet pleased with their teams competitive growth behind young talent, the Portland Trail Blazers are right there with them this season.

Heck, they even both have score-first guards at their helm, one’s who were once understudies; one’s who their fans still can’t tell if they want them to use them as true building blocks or merely an entertainment during these bridge years.

Tonight, Brooklyn met their traveling companion for the second time this year. The road had many bumps — and bruises. But that’s what two team’s hellbent on beating the odds are all about. Here’s what we learned in the process.

CT Needs to Reintegrate with the Offense​

When you’re put on the planet to do one thing — and then you’re not allowed to do it for months — it’s understandable to want to kick down the door when the next opportunity to practice that craft arrives.

Cam Thomas did so tonight, putting up 17 shots in 21 minutes of play. But in hindsight, he should have opened it ajar.

Even with Thomas missing the bulk of the season, Portland’s defense treated him like any other 24+ point per game scorer tonight, fighting through screens and bringing backside pressure to suffocate him in the half court. With him handling the rock but unable to find his teammates, sucking up time on the shot clock, and pulling contested looks, the offense lost its rhythm. Brooklyn tripped into 22 turnovers tonight, only dishing 19 assists in the process.

Nets were letting em fly early and often last time out vs OKC. Not so much the case tonight.

First game back, so cut him some slack, but you'd like to see some more of that with CT here. Eats up way too much of the shot clock here. Nice crash by Killian though. pic.twitter.com/Hrw6S2QZJU

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) March 1, 2025​

Now, Brooklyn’s offense has been an eyesore at several points this season largely due to Thomas’ unavailability. It should go without saying, but with his extended absence, Thomas also had an unprecedented amount of rust to shake off tonight. After all, he had only played two games since the menu was topped by turkey back in late November. Long time.

However, the Net offense, even if not efficient, had been fluid and fast of late. They certainly shared the wealth last night and cashed in collectively, earning their fifth most assists in a contest last time out too. So to see it go from that to what we got this evening was simply too noticeable to not write about.

It’s not my goal here to ramble on about Thomas’ lacking vision as a player. That’s as boring of an exercise as jumping jacks. I’m not here to deem him a bench player at best unless he changes his ways. His shot-making talent, off-ball gravity, and already improved passing this year argue oppositely to an even greater extent.

Less than ideal close to the half... pic.twitter.com/dCfyZDakjm

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) March 1, 2025​

However, the perfect formula involves him finding a way to make it work with what has worked of late. He needs to reintegrate with Brooklyn’s offense — because his game is mysterious and important.

PG2 Trendon Can Still Be a Thing​

The Nets originally bestowed the backup point guard title on Trendon Watford in somewhat of a designated survivor situation. After trading away or buying out three ball-handlers over the course of the season and with Thomas suffering that hamstring injury, he found himself at the head of the offense a few weeks ago.

Nevertheless, he’s made it seem like something he’s been doing since October, running the second unit with poise and fortitude. Since the Nets bought out Ben Simmons, he’s averaged 12/4/4.

After adding another ball-handler to the mix tonight in Thomas, Watford’s minutes went down slightly with him playing his fewest since the Simmons departure. His ability to make an impact, however, remained evident.

Although the Nets couldn’t put it together to seriously challenge Portland at any point beyond the first quarter tonight, the closest they got was the end of the third, when they cut the Blazer lead to just nine. The driving force behind that pressure was none other than Wat, who sparked a 12-4 run not long after entering the game.

Trendon Watford's had a handful of nice minutes running the offense to close out the third. pic.twitter.com/VFzx6yl5EQ

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) March 1, 2025​

It’s a small sample size, but a good one at that. Jordi Fernández never makes any promises with his rotations — and he made that clear with us on day one. But the productivity argues we’ll continue to see Watford field minutes even as the team heals up.

Fight on Down Low​

What might be lost in tonight’s matchup is Brooklyn’s determination on the glass despite being down almost all evening. Brooklyn only finished +9 on the boards overall but won at the offensive end by a 21-9 margin.

Day’Ron Sharpe, naturally less impactful this game as he was the last, still pulled down four. Tyrese Martin and Keon Johnson both matched that, waiting and crashing from the wings much like Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. Alright, not quite that.

Now, Brooklyn only translating that advantage into a mere +8 extra chance points is the sour side of that equation. But the fight was there. I’ll admit, praising feels stale at this point, but such things are what building a winning foundation is all about.

It’s easy to look up and see yourself down 20 points and not crash as hard, especially when you know you’re playing the front end of a back-to-back. But they didn’t take the easy way out, even if it was an ugly exit overall from the homestand.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/2/28...om-the-brooklyn-nets-snoozer-vs-trail-blazers

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets outmuscled by Detroit Pistons, lose 115-94

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

Less than 24 hours after Jordi Fernández rightfully questioned his team’s effort, the Brooklyn Nets dug deep. But that was all.

“Last night was not the way we want to play in terms of consistency and focus. But that’s the beauty of the NBA, we got another game tonight.”

Some may disagree with Head Coach Jordi Fernández there and call it the curse of the NBA. One night after getting pantsed by the Portland Trail Blazers at Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets were playing the Detroit Pistons on the road, and they were doomed from the start.

The Nets have overachieved in 2024-25, though their wins have largely been concentrated in two different stretches, but they entered Saturday night with a 21-38 record. It’s a bit easier to overachieve when expectations are so low, so make no mistake, the Nets are not a good NBA team, even on their best days.

Even as a league-best defense propelled them to a 7-3 stretch, they had the 28th-ranked offense in that span. Keon Johnson, their starting shooting guard in 36 games this season, shoots 37% from the field. It’s just not a good team, though not consistently bad enough to execute a proper tank.

The Detroit Pistons are also overachievers in 2024-25, but not simply due to low expectations. After posting the worst record in the NBA for two straight seasons, an 8-1 stretch has them sitting above .500 in March. They have a chance to host a playoff series this season!

By halftime, they had built a 23-point lead that was once as high as 25, and Brooklyn was lucky it wasn’t worse. Brooklyn posted an eFG% of 32.7, while Detroit more than doubled them at 68.8%. Malik Beasley came off the bench to do the only thing you can’t let him do and found the 3-point line.

Like Friday’s game, the Nets forced plenty of turnovers, but couldn’t capitalize on them. Jordi Fernández’s team tried to play hard, but couldn’t find any solid ground to push off. Less than 24 hours after the head coach criticized his team’s effort, Brooklyn didn’t do much to sway Fernández either way.

That is, until a third quarter in which they cut the deficit to six. They didn’t light it up from the field, but turned up the defensive pressure even more and got out in transition...

I did not think the Nets had a run in them.

It's down to 6. Playing fantastic defense: pic.twitter.com/MTBRsnnLWL

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 2, 2025​

Though shot after shot clanking off iron dampened the mood, certain Nets did shine, if just for a moment. Brooklyn’s bench, led by Tyrese Martin with ___ points and Jalen Wilson with 14, picked up the starters at every turn; even Reece Beekman made some nice defensive plays.

Nic Claxton started March the way he played all of February, blocking five shots despite struggling on the other end...

Clax’s Block Party continues from last month with swats tonight! pic.twitter.com/NJeqeN1ZAH

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 2, 2025​

But nobody struggled as much as Cam Johnson, who shot 3-of-20 from the floor, 0-of-10 from three, and posted nary an assist to three turnovers in what was surely the worst game of his career. While it’s tough to point the finger at one person for Brooklyn’s wire-to-wire deficit, perhaps that third quarter run would have put the Nets up in the ballgame if Johnson had made a few of his looks.

At the very least, Brooklyn dug deep on the second-night of a back-to-back with travel, down Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford (injury management for each) to annoy the Pistons into committing some every unsavory technical fouls, even getting Beasley ejected from the ballgame.

Detroit did find a game-sealing run early in the fourth though, led by their defense. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart stared Brooklyn’s center tandem down, combining for ten of Detroit’s 15 blocks. Cade Cunningham posted 15/7/9, Tobias Harris snuck in 18 points, and ex-Net Dennis Schröder scored seven while getting into the friendliest antics of the night...

Tyrese Martin hits the three over Dennis Schröder, celebrates accordingly, Dennis gets him back. fun: pic.twitter.com/sP5oXQk0Bh

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 2, 2025​

It’s hard to be mad at the under-manned Nets for this one; sometimes shots don’t go in. Sometimes the schedule gets ya, and the opponent is just better. But so clearly lagging behind the field in talent, even without Thomas and Watford; it makes you wonder what this season is all about.

There is much to like about the Brooklyn Nets in the first season of the Jordi Fernández Era, but 21-40 is not where you want to be, even as an overachiever. For many reasons...

Final Score: Detroit Pistons 115, Brooklyn Nets 94

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/1/24375899/nets-vs-pistons-115-104-nic-claxton-cade-cunningham

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: Brooklyn Nets at Detroit Pistons, 7:00 p.m. ET

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

First game of a mini road trip.

It’s the second night of a back-to-back after getting pounced by the not-so-tanking Portland Trail Blazers! We’re used to calling the Detroit Pistons a tanking team, but not this time around. Better days in The Motor City. Quiet days in Kings County.

NETS VS. PISTONS​

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Opponent: Detroit Pistons (33-27)

Tune In: YES Network; WFAN Radio

***

Game Preview | Net Income

Injury Report​

Cam Thomas and Trendon Watford were both late scratches (left hamstring injury management, aka back-to-back.) joining D’Angelo Russell and Noah Clowney (both ankles,) Dariq Whitehead (knee soreness,) and DeAntony Melton (torn ACL). Tosan Evbuomwan or Kendall Brown remain with Long Island who are playing in Frisco, Texas, Saturday. For Detroit, Jaden Ivey, the Pistons big man will be out (lower leg.) Two two-ways, Ron Harper Jr. and Tolu Smith, are on G League assignment.

The Game​

For the Nets, the story, beyond getting back on a winning track, is Killian Hayes. For Hayes, the 6’5” 23-year-old point guard, this is looking like one of the most pivotal games in his five year NBA career. Not only is he going up against the Pistons, the team that drafted him in the lottery in 2020, then dumped him a year ago. It’s the final game of his initial 10-day deal.

***

Please be respectful with your comments. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/1/...-brooklyn-nets-at-detroit-pistons-7-00-p-m-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Lewis: Brooklyn Nets won’t renew Killian Hayes’ 10-day

Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images

In a bit of a surprise, French point guard Killian Hayes who started the last five games for Brooklyn will not get a second 10-day deal, Brian Lewis reports

Killian Hayes, who the Brooklyn Nets started at point guard the last five games, won’t be retained, Brian Lewis of the Post reports. The Nets had the option of renewing his 10-day contract but declined...

Brooklyn did not keep Killian Hayes on a second 10-day contract, sources told the Post. After Hayes started the past five straight games, his deal expired today. It could be a sign that starting point guard D'Angelo Russell is getting close to a return. #Nets

— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) March 2, 2025​

Hayes averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game in six games shooting 41.9% overall and 38.1% from three. In two games vs. the Thunder and Trail Blazers, he scored 35 points on 57/54/100 while handing out 11 assists. On Saturday night, Hayes had his least productive game finishing with four points, four rebounds, and three assists.

When signed to his first 10-day, Hayes was coming off a hot streak in the G League. In his last seven games with Long Island, he averaged 23.4 point and shot 58% overall and 50% from three.

With D’Angelo Russell likely to return soon and Trendon Watford playing well at the point, it’s unlikely Hayes would have received many minutes even though Jordi Fernandez seemed a big fan.

The decision will open up a roster spot whether the Nets choose to give another player a 10-day or a standard deal.

This story will be updated.

• Report: Nets will not give Killian Hayes a second 10-day contract - Sharif Phillips Keaton - Sports Illustrated

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/2/...ts-wont-retain-killian-hayes-on-second-10-day