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[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: Brooklyn Nets at Indiana Pacers, 5:00 p.m. ET

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Back for another one in Indiana.

It’s a good night for basketball fans. March Madness is in full swing, so we can all watch potential prospects that might be playing in Brooklyn next season. With the click of a button (or a few, depending on how you watch), you can watch college hoops AND your Nets, live in action against the Pacers as they chase its 24th win of the season.

As for the present on-court product, the losses are mounting but the fight hasn’t wavered — Brooklyn lost by six to Indy in a bout on Thursday. It was a close one throughout and there was an altercation between Trendon Watford and Myles Turner, which lead to an ejection for Watford and fines for the two and Andrew Nembhard.

You can say whatever you want about this year’s Nets, but one thing that’s undeniable is their heart, pride, and passion to compete. They aren’t backing down from anyone.

NETS VS PACERS | ROUND 2​

Time: 5:00 p.m. ET

Opponent: Indiana Pacers (40-29)

Tune In: YES Network; WFAN radio

Game Preview | Brian Fleurantin​

Injuries: No De’Anthony Melton, D’Angelo Russell, or Cam Thomas. Ziaire Williams is questionable with right hamstring tightness. For Indy, Isaiah Jackson is out with an Achilles tear. Tyrese Haliburton is questionable with lower back soreness.

The Game: With Cam Johnson back, the Nets get some much needed scoring back. CJ got a rest day on Thursday so he should be able to pick some of the slack up for his teammates who had to pull extra duty on Thursday. Johnson and the Nets will try to slow down Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin has been starting in the absence of Hali, and he’s made the absolute most of it. The Pacers have a really solid wing duo in Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith and they give Rick Carlisle a variety of good options to work with.

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/2025/3/22...n-brooklyn-nets-at-indiana-pacers-5-00-p-m-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets vs. Dallas Mavericks preview: Monday night hoops

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

The Nets come home to begin a brief two game homestand.

It didn’t take overtime, but the result was the same. The Brooklyn Nets played the second of two in Indianapolis against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday evening. Brooklyn almost pulled off an improbable rally, but wound up falling a few points short.

The opponent tonight is trying to figure things out. The Dallas Mavericks were expected to contend, but... circumstances changed and now they are scrambling on various fronts. They beat the resurgent Detroit Pistons on Friday night and have been off for the past few days.

Where to follow the game​

YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on the app. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.

Injuries​

D’Angelo Russell and Ziaire Williams are both questionable for Brooklyn. Cam Thomas and De’Anthony Melton are both out.

...takes a deep breath

The following are out for Dallas:

• Kyrie Irving - Left ACL tear
• Daniel Gafford - right knee sprain
• Dante Exum - left hand fracture
• Caleb Martin - right hip strain
• Dereck Lively II - right ankle stress fracture

Brandon Williams is probable with low back tightness. Anthony Davis is doubtful due to a left adductor strain, but is hoping to be back very soon.

The game​

I’ve seen bad trades before, but I’ve never seen a trade so bad it permanently changes a team’s relationship with their city and fans. That’s what the Dallas Mavericks did when they traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Markieff Morris and a 2029 first round pick. Since that moment, it’s been hell on Earth for the franchise as everything that can go wrong has go wrong. The trio of Nico Harrison, Patrick Dumont, and Miriam Adelson have become reviled amongst Mavs fans and it’s led to questioning what it means to be a fan, if not outright leaving the scene entirely. Our friends at Mavs Moneyball have been doing amazing coverage post trade and David Trink wrote something that really stood out to me:

This trade is now a cautionary tale of how devaluing the fandom too much can truly sever a relationship the organization and the fans build over decades. It was a clear-cut power trip; Harrison got so enthralled with the idea that he could be the organization’s savior, not Doncic, that he punted on a bright future with a beloved star because it wasn’t the future he wanted. It was almost as if Harrison blacked out and did not feel the gravity of his decision until it was too late. He burned an ecosystem of international fans, small businesses, families, and lifelong fans that all revolved around cheering for Luka Doncic, the Dallas Maverick. The direction of the franchise is now in question and the free agency implications are endless. Everything good the Mavericks were building was relinquished in a second, behind closed doors. This was a corporate decision that was blinded by a lack of input from other parties and fueled by a disdain for the team’s star player. This horrid mix blurred the line between business and the purpose of a basketball organization. Harrison viewed Doncic as a replaceable asset while everyone else viewed him as an irreplaceable human being.

Above all else, no one wants to feel like they’ve been lied to, yes, betrayed. When you give your time, energy, resources, and emotions to something, you want to be treated with respect in return. Between the shabby treatment given to fans, the looming threat of Las Vegas hanging over the franchise, the constantly evolving excuses rationales given about the trade, etc., the Mavs may have permanently destroyed professional basketball in Dallas. And they have only themselves to blame for it.

We’ve got what’s probably going to be an unhappy reunion tonight. In December, former Net Spencer Dinwiddie spoke about his second stint with the organization, and he discussed the frustration, sadness, and everything in between. It’s unfortunate, but that’s life sometimes. He’s had to start again due to all the injuries and he’s doing his best to make things happen. When Dinwiddie is at his best, he’s driving to the basket and creating quality shots for his teammates.

As you’d expect with a team missing all their centers, the Mavs are a pretty terrible rebounding team. The Nets aren’t much better, so whoever exceeds expectations on that end will control the flow of the game. Look for Nic Claxton to make his presence felt on that end.

Player to watch: PJ Washington​

There’s been so much venom spewed at the Mavs organization, and the players have unfortunately been caught up in the anger at Harrison, Dumont, and Adelson. After a recent bout of “Fire Nico!” chants, Washington had enough:

“At the end of the day, the trade happened. We understand we have a new team now. All that “Fire Nico” stuff, we’re sick and tired of hearing it. We just want to go out there and play and we need the fans to support us no matter who’s on the floor. That’s just how I feel about it.”

If I had to work in that environment every day, I might feel the same way.

Even amidst all the negativity, he’s worked really hard to keep his team in the play-in race. Per Mavs PR, Washington has “5,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, 850 assists, 500 3FGM, 350 steals and 350 blocks within their first 400 career games.” Who else is in that club? Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Durant! That’s good business. Since the All Star break, Washington has averaged around 18 points and seven rebounds on .479/.371/.629 shooting splits. Washington has kept the team afloat amidst all the drama and is someone that the organization can keep as part of a possible future.

Cam Johnson will look to win his matchup against a fellow Most Improved candidate. CJ returned to action following a rest day on Saturday afternoon and had 20/9/5/1 in 37 minutes. With D’Angelo Russell possibly coming back tonight, Johnson won’t have as many playmaking duties on his shoulders this go around. He’s done well with it and as we get one day closer to the end of the season, his growth will be something Nets fans watch closely.

From the Vault​

On the men’s side of the NCAA Tournament, we are officially heading to the Sweet 16 following a Maryland buzzer beater. Let’s take a trip back in time to another buzzer beater, this time featuring a former Net!

And speaking of the Sweet 16, Duke and Arizona will have their first Sweet 16 meeting since 2011. Another former Net was in this game, but it didn’t go the way he wanted...

More reading: Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation NBA

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
• Dallas Mavericks Game Notes - Dallas Mavericks
• Mavericks hit the road against Nets, await reinforcements - NBA
• Mavs’ Anthony Davis could be close to return from injury, but is listed as doubtful against Nets - AP
• Dallas faces Brooklyn, aims to stop road skid - AP
• Nets still struggling with allowing late leads to slip through their fingers - Brian Lewis - New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/24...vericks-nba-preview-pj-washington-cam-johnson

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets Misfire vs Dallas Mavericks

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It was the first non-competitive game in a while. With this team, let’s just be thankful we’ve made it this far without many more.

Tonight’s contest between the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks was exactly as vibrant and colorful as it looked from a visuals perspective. In case you didn’t watch, both teams wore all grey, white, and black uniforms. They also played on a grey court. So yeah, it was nothing special.

After Dallas jumped up on Brooklyn 19-8 about halfway through the opening period, Brooklyn’s deficit floated around the 10-15 point margin almost all game. The Nets trailed by 19 going into the fourth and this time stayed behind until the end.

It was a rare night of bliss for one team whose fans have been in the torture chamber ever since February — and just a forgettable one for the others who’ve been in it since...forever?

I’ll leave it to the philosophers to decide whether potency or longevity carries more weight when it comes to fan pain. But the game itself? That’s all us. Here’s what we saw in tonight’s.

It’s a Make or Miss League at the End of the Day​

Queuing up high-percentage shots is no easy task without a true point guard. D’Angelo Russell or even Dennis Schröder and Shake Milton have been Brooklyn’s knives as they’ve looked to cut through defenses this year. Today though, they only had forks to claw at it in Keon Johnson and Tyrese Martin.

But with the Mavericks missing key defenders at the point of attack, those utensils did more damage than you’d expect. Between their efforts and some creative screening likely drawn up by Jordi Fernández, the Nets carved out decent looks all things considered to begin the game.

- designed 'Danny Green cut' behind PnR creates an open three

- designed 'Danny Green cut' behind PnR negates an open dunk

Nets have thrown this wrinkle in all season: pic.twitter.com/PBOmMD0zDe

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 24, 2025​

That’s not to say the Nets weren’t without ugly possessions...especially in that first quarter.

It's been a rough first quarter. pic.twitter.com/ia2LkaAC2c

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 25, 2025​

However, Brooklyn didn’t get to their putrid 40/10 first quarter splits via 22 straight broken possessions tonight. On enough occasions for it to be noticeable, the Nets simply failed to cash in on the open looks they either established for themselves or the defense surrendered.

While Brooklyn managed to raise their splits to 51/33 by the end of the game, that was just like putting some icing over the rotten cake they served up to begin the game. It was Brooklyn’s poor shooting that put them so far behind in the first and they never mounted anything close to a comeback after.

It’s basketball’s oldest rule, or even cliche depending on how you phrase it, but it was relevant as ever tonight in big 2025. We can talk x’s and o’s until the cows come home — but wins and losses ultimately come down to makes and misses. Tonight, Brooklyn just had more of the latter.

Turnovers Are Also a Must​

For a team just one tick away from a 50+ loss season, the Brooklyn Nets have been living lavishly in the turnover department of late. They forced 22 over the weekend vs the Pacers, a season-high for them, and have poked away the league’s seventh most in the month of March.

It’s hard to say that’s translated to winning, with the Nets also carrying a 2-10 record this month into tonight, but it has translated to near wins, which is all the team should be after anyway at this point.

But tonight, Brooklyn’s competitive seeds were denied the sunlight and water that usually allow them to sprout at the very least. Not counting the shot clock violation in the final second of the game, the Nets turned over the Mavs only nine times, clocking in as Brooklyn’s third fewest forced in a game this month.

Then on the other side of the coin, they gave it up 18 times leading to a whopping 31 extra points for Dallas.

“Our offense didn’t help our defense,” Fernández said. “...We should have traded some of those turnovers for threes. We didn’t. So that’s where our offense can help our defense. I think the guys tried, they kept fighting, and there were sparks here and there, but there was no consistency.”

Winning the turnover battle will be on any team’s shortlist of things to check off to win a game. But for this Nets team with limited offensive capabilities, it’s at the top, and tonight proved that too.

The Clax x Sharpe Dream May Still Be Alive​

While the Dallas Mavericks may be short on front office intelligence, and with that, fan support right now, they had an abundance of length tonight with Anthony Davis back in the lineup. Whether it was Nico Harrison’s wayward obsession drawing attention on the block or scoring himself, Dallas dominated the Nets in the paint scoring 64 points while shooting 68% from the field.

The Nets were left with no choice but to go big. It took them until the second quarter to do so, but once they did, we got results. Well, at least more than any other point of the game offered.

Nets have...something here with the Clax x Sharpe pairing.

Brooklyn went on a 11-6 run after they took the floor together in the second. pic.twitter.com/NhqyYhSPK1

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

Right after Sharpe checked in at the 7:47 mark of the second, Brooklyn went on a 6-2 run that applied a tad of pressure on Dallas.

Make of that what you will, but this lone bright stretch for Brooklyn started at the defensive end. The two bigs, each being relatively mobile at worst, allowed Brooklyn to switch freely with extra paint protection. Each was invited to challenge shots more aggressively knowing the other would be there to clean up the possession on the glass as well.

...Or sometimes just say “screw it,” both leap, and collectively add another skyscraper to the New York City skyline.

rim protectors! @dayron_sharpe | @_claxton33 pic.twitter.com/cSPYYyqhGR

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 25, 2025​

“Obviously, we have to match up defensively, but with a big lineup, I felt that that made sense,” Fernández said. “I definitely trust Day’Ron to be able to shoot. I know Nic made a couple late in the game, but we can still be spaced and spread the floor. More than happy to play them together...Having size always helps. That helps you rebound and having bodies in the paint helps to protect the rim, so that was good to see.”

In the wake of Day’Ron Sharpe’s resurgence off the bench this year, pitting Claxton and Sharpe against each other has been the more popular exercise among Nets Twitter personalities, but tonight showed us that’s not our only option.

With Brooklyn soon-to-be eliminated from postseason contention, expect them to get even more creative with their lineups in these final weeks of the season. It’s evaluation time. That could give way to even more Sharpe x Claxton minutes and by extension, lay the groundwork for something fun next year.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/24...rom-brooklyn-nets-misfire-vs-dallas-mavericks

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets Draft Primer: March Madness update #1

Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

With Brooklyn’s season nearing its most crucial moment — the NBA Draft Lottery — let’s take a look at some prospects playing in March Madness.

The Brooklyn Nets are 23-49. There are ten games left to play in the 2024-25 season. It’s prospect time, baby.

With the Nets locked in an intense race for the fifth-best lottery odds, currently tied with the corpse of the Philadelphia 76ers (which would present a coin-flip scenario) and two games clear of the Toronto Raptors, any pick from #1 to #10, technically speaking is still in play. The current NBA Draft Lottery system has quite a few oddities, like the minuscule chance of Brooklyn actually getting the fifth pick. Consult them all here, courtesy of Tankathon...

This will be Brooklyn’s first lotto pick since Derrick Favors in 2010. It’s a big deal, and not just because the franchise desperately needs an infusion of young talent.

Luckily, it’s March Madness time, and with the first weekend of the Men’s NCAA Tournament complete, quite a few potential future Nets just added to their tape on national television. Here’s a non-exhaustive rundown of prospects outside of the six we’ve covered already.

Derik Queen - Maryland​

Baltimore’s very own Derik Queen just hit the shot of tournament, advancing the Terrapins to the Sweet 16, and it’s emblematic of his case as an NBA prospect...

DERIK QUEEN FTW

OH MY GOODNESS #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/06QRH6eK3R

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025​

He catches it at the top of the key, takes two dribbles before taking a fading leaner from an impossible angle off his right foot, and kisses it in off the glass.

The bet on Queen, an older freshman who will be 20.5 years old on draft night, is simple: Guys this skilled usually figure it out. No, he probably doesn’t have the athleticism to anchor a defense despite being listed at 6’10”. He’s not particularly explosive or long, and won’t excel as a rim-runner in the NBA.

But Queen can just hoop, man. He’s 6-of-31 from deep on the season, but he’ll break out a Sombor Shuffle just because...

Derik Queen are you kidding me pic.twitter.com/IzIqSBLnLo

— Joe Jackson (@joejacksonCBB) November 24, 2024​

He’s posting a sub-one assist:turnover ratio, but flip on a Maryland game and you’re guaranteed to catch a couple high-level passes from him...

derik queen is constantly throwing high level, high degree of difficulty passes, flashing NBA level processing speed, vision and skill on these reads

near 27% big time pass rate (per my hand tracking), i'm a big believer in his passing ceiling pic.twitter.com/hyBCGgTao2

— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) January 24, 2025​

So despite averaging 16/9/2 as a high-major freshman, including 14.5/10.5/2 in the tournament’s first weekend, his statistical profile doesn’t scream NBA. (That being said, his 5.9% steal+block rate suggests savviness on D, and his 75.5% from the free-throw line is a decent shooting indicator.)

Turn on the tape, though, and it’s easy to see why Queen is likely to go top-ten in this June’s draft, if not higher. You take the talent and bet on Queen to figure it out; as for the Nets, it’s not like they currently have any talent that restricts who they can draft.

If Brooklyn winds up in the 4-8 range, expect Queen’s name to pop up frequently this spring. Oh, and just for kicks...

ICYMI, Derik Queen’s Instagram profile picture. pic.twitter.com/4ljSeTkpwO

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) March 24, 2025​

Jeremiah Fears - Oklahoma​

Fears and his Oklahoma Sooners were bounced after an opening round loss to UCONN, but the 6’2” guard availed himself well. (Somehow, Fears is officially listed at 6’4”, one of the 2025 class’ more ridiculous measurements.)

Pick and roll clinic from Jeremiah Fears, showcasing his outstanding playmaking acumen and pace, dissecting UConn's defense in a variety of ways. Should have finished with at least 10-12 assists (OU went 3/17 3P). Super impressive stuff from the 18-year-old projected Top-10 pick pic.twitter.com/9Wiw8xHMP4

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 22, 2025​

As ESPN’s Jonathan Givony notes, Fears had a whale of a game passing the ball, particularly in the pick-and-roll. That’s a tremendous sign for the freshman who will be just 18.7 years old on draft night.

Fears averaged 17/4/4 as Oklahoma’s lead guard this season, and as you might expect, had some ups and downs in that role. He averaged a whopping 3.4 turnovers a game and shot just 28.4% from three, but per Bart Torvik, shot 45.9% on long twos as well as 85.1% on many attempts from the line. As anybody who watched UCONN-Oklahoma can tell you, the kid likes to get downhill...

Jeremiah fears was generating paint touches at will tonight.. insane for 6’2-6’3 pic.twitter.com/YXoQUZ4Rm8

— g (@freewave3) March 22, 2025​

The sell is clear: Dribble/pass/shoot upside as a lead guard, and Brooklyn has nobody blocking his path to reps. Again, in the 4-8 range, Fears will be a name to watch out for.

V.J. Edgecombe - Baylor​

Baylor’s tournament is over, so VJ Edgecombe’s collegiate career is likely complete. If you need one play to sum up his NBA sell, here it is...

We describe too many things as "elite", but when it comes to VJ Edgecombe's athleticism it is warranted. pic.twitter.com/EayNfgia6Z

— Stone Hansen (@report_court) March 17, 2025​

Capital-A Athlete.

Edgecombe averaged 15/6/3 this season and scored 30 points in his two March Madness games. Though Baylor bowed out to Duke without much of a second-half fight, Edgecombe made a handful of nice plays, including a couple on dribble-handoffs or attacking closeouts...

VJ Edgecombe vs Duke in his Final College game..

16 PTS (6-12 FG)
6 REBS

He is projected top 5 RN.. how we feeling about that?? pic.twitter.com/znkH5aG1mY

— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) March 23, 2025​

Edgecombe, 19.9 years old on draft night, is a 3-and-D guard/wing on a good NBA team in the coming career, but optimists see more opportunity for him to grow offensively.

He will rack up steals and blocks, undoubtedly creating havoc, but the 3-point shot progressed nicely at Baylor, and there were even improvements to his ball-handling skills throughout the year.

If the Nets think Edgecombe going to feast in transition and off cuts while hitting the occasional spot-up three, creating many-a-turnover for their defense, that’s a fine pick in the middle of the lottery. If Brooklyn sees even more offensive upside than that, he’s in play as soon as Cooper Flagg is taken at #1.

Non-Lotto bets​

On the morning of March 25, Brooklyn owns picks #19, #26, and #27, thanks to the Bucks, Knicks, and Rockets.

Of course, that’s subject to change, and speculation suggests the Nets likely won’t add all four selections to their 2025-26 roster. They could convert one or more of those picks into future draft currency — they own just one first-rounder in the ‘26 and ‘28 drafts.

Regardless, here are some potential late-first-round picks we’ve seen in the tourney thus far.

Bennett Stirtz - Drake

Stirtz was one of the best players in Division II basketball, then transferred to Drake for his junior year, and won Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year.

He then averaged 21/2/6 in Drake’s two tournament games, both against high-major competition. That’ll really boost his draft stock, considering he’s a small, white guard who is sure to face an athleticism deficit at the next level. But Stirtz, graciously listed at 6’4”, can really play: high usage rate, averaged 19/4/6, turnover-averse, shot a tick under 40% from three, 54.5% from two, and 79.3% from the line.

Stirtz, who will be 21.7 years old on draft night, doesn’t have the twitch of Payton Pritchard, but can he be Ty Jerome? Picking around the 20’s, that’s not a bad question to answer.

Ryan Kalkbrenner - Creighton

Another safe-ish pick here. Kalkbrenner, a fifth-year senior, will turn 24 during his rookie season, but is 7’1” with great hands. He’s shot 70% from two his last three seasons, blocking around three shots per game. If Luke Kornet can be a solid role player on a great team, it seems to follow that Kalkbrenner will hang around for a while

And hey, he even shot 34.4% from deep on a couple attempts per game this season, in addition to shooting 71% from the line in his career. Not great, not terrible either. If Brooklyn thinks they’re going to seriously compete during Kalkbrenner’s rookie contract, here’s your backup center.

Though Creighton lost to overall #1 seed Auburn to end their season, Kalk showed up against National POY contender Johni Broome, posting 18-and-7.

Carter Byrant - Arizona

There are far more names to get to — and we’ll cover them before May’s lottery and June’s draft — but for now, let’s end on a fun note.

Carter Bryant is an older freshman coming off the bench for Arizona, who will play Duke in the Sweet 16; he’ll be 19.6 years old on draft night. But Bryant could be a fantastic, wing-sized 3-and-D bet if he makes it to the mid-20s. Think Kessler Edwards, but with more intriguing indicators, more fluid athleticism.

He’s shooting 37.4% from deep on healthy volume and 76.7% at the rim, though is just 68% from the line. More importantly, he’s an event creator on defense, blocking a ton of shots and racking up deflections. The guy is an NBA-quality athlete on the wing, and at worst, he can scrap for offense while hitting some spot-up threes. If Brooklyn sees more offensive potential, that’s a perfect 20s pick...

Good NCAA tournament debut for Carter Bryant, showing his two-way versatility, explosiveness, and shot-making prowess in Arizona's blowout win over Akron. 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 20 minutes for the 19-year-old, projected top-20 pick. Oregon up next. pic.twitter.com/wi13z3WkLH

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) March 22, 2025​

Is he the most cerebral player yet? Not quite. He’s going to struggle making quick decisions for a while, but if the Nets plan to draft high again next season, that’s just fine. Bryant is a guy who could use the reps early in his career.

---

There’s a ton of meaningful basketball on in the spring, though the Brooklyn Nets aren’t exactly involved in that. There remain just ten games left in their season, and then, there will be an influx of young talent. That is the promise, the hope at this stage of the franchise’s rebuild anyway.

While the NCAA Tournament continues on Thursday, Brooklyn’s next game is on Wednesday in what’s sure to be a classic late-season tank-off against the Toronto Raptors. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/25...h-madness-update-1-derik-queen-jeremiah-fears

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Dariq Whitehead recalled to the Brooklyn Nets from Long Island

Photo by Luther Schlaifer/NBAE via Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets and Long Island Nets both have three games this week and it looks like Dariq Whitehead will play them in Brooklyn.

Dariq Whitehead, who has been one of the Long Island Nets best players this season, has once again been recalled by the Brooklyn Nets.

Whitehead, who was playing a pivotal role for Long Island in its attempt to get into the G League playoffs, is heading back to the big club to hopefully play some more minutes up there. With this move, it seems like Brooklyn doesn’t see much chance of Long Island winning out to make the playoffs.

Long Island, which is currently 16-15 and a game and a half out of the sixth and final playoff spot, has three games left, Tuesday vs. the Raptors 905 in Toronto, then the final home games at Nassau Coliseum vs the Cleveland Charge. Both teams have losing records. Should they win their final three games, Long Island would finish the season at 19-15. Unfortunately for them, Long Island needs a lot of help to get in.

The Motor City Cruise, Wisconsin Herd, and College Park Skyhawks would have lose and fall back. So, it’s safe to say that Long Island would need a lot of help. So with evaluation its own top priority, Brooklyn figured it’s time to give Whitehead some legitimate minutes at the NBA level. Whitehead has had three foot and leg surgeries between August 2022 and January 2024 which have limited his NBA career to 12 games, 10 this season.

Whenever NetsDaily spoke to Whitehead earlier this year, he said that he didn’t care where he played, but he just wanted to “continue to stack days” and continue to get “healthy.” Indeed, this has been his first fully healthy season since high school.

Could the Brooklyn Nets consider sitting wings like Cam Johnson and Tyrese Martin and give some players like Dariq Whitehead and Maxwell Lewis some serious minutes? It’s very possible, and more importantly, it could help the tank.

While no team plays to lose, this could be the perfect time for Brooklyn to give players like Whitehead a legitimate look as noted by ND earlier today. He’s also likely to get more than the garbage time minutes he was given in previous recalls.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/25...ecalled-to-the-brooklyn-nets-from-long-island

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Drew Timme’s development has been nothing short of remarkable for Long Island Nets

Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images

Drew Timme was named the G League Player of the Week Tuesday after his big 50-point game over the weekend. It was big for a number of reasons.

The G-League is a league where it’s all about development. Sure, it helps to win games and it would be great to be the No 1 team, league champions, but wins don’t matter that much in the “G.” The development of your team’s players of tomorrow does.

Despite the Long Island Nets being a long shot to enter the playoffs this weekend, they have had a lot of positives on the team. From Killian Hayes to Kendall Brown to Tyson Etienne, there have been a lot of players who have gotten to showcase their talents.

However, perhaps nobody has developed in a bigger way than Drew Timme who on Tuesday was named G League Player of the Week after he averaged 35.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 35.7 minutes per game while shooting 68.4% overall and 63.6% from 3-point range...

Forward Drew Timme was named NBA G League Player of the Week for games played Monday, March 17, through Sunday, March 23. This marks the fifth NBA G League Player of the Week recognition in Long Island Nets history, the first for Long Island this season and the first for Timme. pic.twitter.com/vmWQ15ctky

— Long Island Nets (@LongIslandNets) March 25, 2025​

Timme is the star of the Long Island Nets now, and it’s been remarkable seeing how much he’s changed since coming over from the Stockton Kings in January in this his second G League season after going undrafted out of Gonzaga in 2023. To compare, he averaged 19.3 minutes per game with the Kings affiliate, putting up 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds. He shot only 12.5% from deep, putting up only one attempt a game. Things changed in Long Island and Timme acknowledges that.

“It’s great to find a place where you’re given an opportunity to really be able to show what you have,” Timme tells NetsDaily. “It’s exactly what I wanted when the trade went through and I couldn’t be more happy to be here.”

Since being sent to Long Island as a part of a three-team trade that saw Amari Bailey wind up with the Iowa Wolves, Timme is playing the best basketball of his pro career. Averaging 35.7 minutes for Long Island, Timme is currently averaging 24.3 points and 10.4 rebounds.

“The thing about this league is it’s all about opportunity and just making the most of it when you get it. Coming here, coach told me what he needed and he told me to be me. I’m trying to do that to the best of my ability and I’m so grateful for this opportunity here.”

Timme has shot the ball much better in his time with Long Island than he did on Stockton but more importantly, he has had a free rein in NetsLand. In Stockton, Timme connected on 67 of his 117 shot attempts, 52.7%. On Long Island, those numbers skyrocketed as Timme landed 229 shots on his 375 shots, 61.1%. This is just one area of many that Timme has seen improve.

Timme has also done a great job at getting his teammates involved. He’s averaging 4.2 assists in his time on Long Island, solid for a big man ... compared to his time at Stockton where he only averaged 2.8 assists. He has been working on getting his teammates involved more and it’s showing.

Timme has also found his way in shooting the ball from deep. In today’s NBA, 3-point shooting is a must regardless of the player. The days of making the NBA as a big man built like Shaquille O’Neill are long gone. Now, the NBA wants bigs who can shoot the ball from deep and be just as athletic as the point guards who feed them in some cases.

Timme worked on a major part of his game while in his time on Long Island, his 3-point shooting, going from putting one attempt a game with the Kings to three a game with the Nets. This is something he hopes to further develop as he knows he doesn’t have a choice if wants to make it to the NBA. Timme is currently shooting close to 40% from deep.

“It’s (3-point shooting) never been known as my strength, but it’s something I’ve been working on continuously,” Timme tells ND. “It’s not something that just happened overnight. I’ve been working on it for the past three or four years. It’s what they do in the NBA, they just launch a bunch of threes so you kind of have to join the mold or not be a part of it.

“To get to where I want to go, I just have to shoot more and I think that’s been the focus. It helps the team too because then I’m able to drive when they start pressing up and I can get good shots to other people. It helps everybody.”

That free rein head coach Mfon Udofia has given his big man was apparent in Long Island’s game against the Motor City Cruise when Timme not only picked up a career-high of 50 points, but won the game with a three...

DREW TIMME CALLED GAME!

He nails the three, recording his 5⃣0⃣th points of the game to hit the target score of 152 pic.twitter.com/DbOGp7SAVo

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) March 23, 2025​

It was second in Long Island in franchise history behind Isaiah Whitehead’s 52-point performance back in 2018. He shot 21-of-26 overall and 4-of-6 from three.

As a whole, Timme is very happy to be here. He says that the fit and the trust the coaching staff has in him is truly “awesome.” “It’s really helped me find my way.” While Timme is a juggernaut on offense, his defense is something that always needed work, but something he’s also seen improve a lot since coming to Long Island.

“I’ve always been able to score, but I’ve been rebounding more, and also my defense I’ve been more active,” Timme tells ND. “I’m getting more deflections, a couple blocks here and there, and that’s because the staffs on me all the time about it. I need that, it’s good. I think that’s probably the biggest area of growth I’ve had.”

Timme is starting to be rewarded for his impressive play, as on Tuesday, Timme took home the prestigious honor of NBA G-League Player of the Week. This is the fifth time in Long Island history that one of their players won the award. However, this is the first time this season Long Island has had a player get this honor and the first time Timme’s gotten this honor in his career.

When speaking with Timme about his goals, Timme kept it short and sweet with ND, “I want a call-up,” Timme tells ND. “That’s the point of the G-League, to develop, continue to get better, and get to where you want to go. Where I want to go is the league. If I can just come in and keep proving it and keep being consistent, maybe one day it’ll happen. That’s the goal, that’s the dream and maybe one day it will happen.”

Timme is used to big games in March. He was a three-time All-American at Gonzaga and was famous for his output in the NCAAs. Now, it’s March again in a lot of ways.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/26...hing-short-of-remarkable-for-long-island-nets

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Long Island Nets defeat Toronto Raptors 905, 127-122, but Killian Hayes goes down

Photo by Christian Bonin/NBAE via Getty Images

Keeping their slim playoff hopes alive, Long Island Island won again. They end the G League season at Nassau Coliseum Thursday and Saturday.

Long Island knew that Wednesday morning’s game vs. the Raptors 905 was must-win with their playoff hopes on the line. Ultimately, Long Island did what they had to do and defeated the Raptors 905, 127-122 in suburban Toronto. The win kept Long Island’s slim playoff hopes alive. The Nets G League affiliate is now one game out of the post-season, but will still need wins in their last two games ... and get help from elsewhere to make it work.

However, in the process of picking up the win, Long Island lost one of their biggest contributors. Killian Hayes who they’ll need if they can get to the playoffs.

At the end of the third quarter, Hayes appeared to roll his ankle. He quickly hit the deck writhing in pain while holding the ankle, having to be helped off the court. He wouldn’t see action again in Wednesday’s game. No word yet on the severity.

Hayes was in the process of another very strong game prior to getting hurt. Prior to his injury, Hayes scored 20 points, , connecting on eight of his 17 shots, including two of seven from three. Hayes also picked up five rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks.

Killian Hayes brutal rolled ankle it looks like.

Hopefully, that’s all it is but this is certainly less than ideal as Long Island needs all the help they can get to make a playoff push.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/TuDHMckpG7

— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) March 26, 2025​

Tyson Etienne, the newest Nets two-way, picked up Hayes bag, finishing with 30 points, continuing his fantastic shooting from beyond the arc. Etienne landed seven of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc and 10 of his 17 shots from the field. E

Coming off his 50-point performance, Drew Timme got into foul trouble and didn’t have his typical high scoring game, The 6’10” 24-year-old finished with just 14 points. He connected on six of his 10 shots but missed both his attempts from deep. Timme also picked up seven rebounds and three assists.

Tosan Evbuomwan was third on Long Island in scoring, picking up 19 points. The two-way player continues to improve a great deal on the court and has continued to show his potential all year. Evbuomwan shot the ball very well, connecting on six of his 10 shots, including hitting three of his five attempts from deep. Evbuomwan also picked up five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block.

Terry Roberts picked up 18 points, while Reece Beekman picked up 17. Beekman also picked up a double-double, finishing with 10 assists. He came close to a triple-double, picking up seven rebounds too. The strong showing from Beekman and Roberts led Long Island in the fourth after Hayes went down.

After going down 2-0 in the first, Long Island outscored Toronto, 11-2. As the first quarter became closer down the stretch, Long Island was only able to take a three-point lead into the second. Long Island continued to outscore Toronto in the second, 35-29, to take a nine-point lead into the half.

Toronto battled back in the third, outscoring Long Island, 35-26. Both teams entered the fourth tied at 90, with it truly being anyone’s game. Unfortunately for Long Island, they had to win the fourth without the help of Hayes or Timme, who was out a majority of the fourth with foul trouble. Long Island outscored Toronto, 37-32, to win the game by five points.

Next Up​

The Long Island Nets (17-15) return to their home court on Friday night for a showdown with the Cleveland Charge (14-18), the first of a season-ending duo. Long Island looks to keep their playoff hopes alive as they have to win out if they have a chance to make it. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on NBA G-League and Long Island Nets’ respective websites, as well as the Gotham Sports App.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets 127, Raptors 905, 122 - G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/26...ptors-905-127-122-but-killian-hayes-goes-down

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

New York Liberty announce plan for $80 million practice facility in Greenpoint

New York Liberty practice facility rendering. | New York Liberty

The New York Liberty announce the location of their new practice facility as the champs continue to invest in their present and future.

Since Joe and Clara Wu Tsai purchased the New York Liberty in 2019, they have been working to make the team the very best in the WNBA.

Through investment, institutional support, and bringing in the best players in the world, the seafoam were able to make history and win their first WNBA championship last October 21. And now, they’ve made a new investment that will help their present and future.

On Thursday, the team announced that they will be building a new state-of-the-art practice facility that will debut in 2027, posting a four-minute video on the team website and social media...

The 75,000 square foot facility — slightly larger than the Brooklyn Nets HSS Training Center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn — will be built on Newtown Creek overlooking Manhattan’s iconic skyline. Although the Liberty did not specify an address, Norman Oder of Atlantic Yards Report was able to identify the location of the facility as the northern end of Manhattan Avenue, between Ash Street and Newtown Creek, on the site of a former light-bulb factory.

The facility will cost $80 million which will be fully-funded by the Liberty’s ownership group, per the announcement. That’s about $30 million more than HSS which was completed in early 2016.

“We are a player-first organization and investing in health and wellness has always been a priority for us. The New York Liberty deserve a facility of their own: one that reflects their tremendous talent, work ethic, and ambition,” said Clara Wu Tsai, Governor of the New York Liberty. “This facility is a sign of our commitment to the team, to the city of New York, and to the advancement of women’s sports.”

Dedicated practice facilities are new for WNBA teams with the first, opened by the Las Vegas Aces, opening two years ago. Since then, the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury have developed their own and a number of other teams have announced plans.

The Liberty currently practice and train in the small gym off the main entrance to the arena.

Players leading the way​

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart all collaborated with leading global design firm, Populous, to provide “insights that are unique to women, optimize player performance and best accommodate their multi-faceted lifestyles,” according to the release, calling it the “first-ever facility designed by players, for players.”

Highlights of the design process include:

• Revolutionary locker room concept – in lieu of traditional lockers, surrounding the player lounge area, each player will have their own private suite, equipped with a full height wardrobe and sneaker storage, a vanity with face-illuminating mirrors and lighting, and a seven-foot daybed for lounging and recovery.
• Two full practice courts equipped with remote cameras and data tracking technology, as well as multi video displays for on-court film review.
• Outdoor basketball court that allows for easy player access to visit and participate in clinics and to interact with the community. The Liberty are committed to growing the Brooklyn Basketball program that they and the Brooklyn Nets together support, empowering the next generation of young girls and boys.
• Roof deck player dining area featuring indoor and outdoor seating with skyline views and in-house private chefs to provide an elevated dining experience.
• Indoor and outdoor two-story strength training room allowing players and the team’s performance staff to create dynamic programming through its uniquely crafted, spacious layout including a cardio balcony deck overlooking the practice courts.
• Full recovery suite featuring steam, sauna, massage rooms and a range of the latest in rehab and recovery technologies, including hydrotherapy, hyperbaric chamber, infrared, and red-light therapy.
• In-house player hair, nail, and makeup studio ensuring players can book appointments amidst their busy schedules.
• Two private family lounges including separate family and nursery areas.

“I am grateful to be a part of an organization who recognizes the power of investment in their players, and ensures we have everything we need to be at top of our game at all times,” said Ionescu, “It was amazing to sit down with Populous and walk through what is most important to us as athletes to be successful in all aspects of our lives. This facility is a massive next step for the New York Liberty.”

Populous specializes in sports facilities and has been the lead architect on the UBS Arena in Elmont, the Sphere in Las Vegas and the Venetian in Macao, China, where the Nets will play the Suns in two preseason next October.

“One of the main things that drew me to the New York Liberty organization is the level of investment in us as athletes. We just won a championship, and in the same way they expect us to level up and step up our game, our ownership group and leadership continues to raise the bar, and this facility is a perfect example of that. This is what makes our organization great and why it will continue to be relevant as the years go on,” added Jones.

“The Liberty made this facility a true player-led endeavor, incorporating our insights to help us be our best, while strengthening our bond as a team and with the New York community,” said Breanna Stewart, Liberty forward. “As a mom, I’m especially grateful for the family rooms—it means everything to know my family is cared for while I stay locked in on my craft.”

Additional key Liberty practice facility features will include a rooftop patio and lounge area, a broadcast and podcast studio, a dedicated media workroom, and three floors of office space for the Liberty’s growing front office staff. As a dedication to its fan base, the Liberty will also build a fan-facing immersive experience, hospitality, and a retail storefront.

Latest investment by the Tsais​

The facility is the latest by Joe and Clara Wu Tsai. In October, the parent company for the Liberty, Nets and Barclays Center announced a five-year, $100 million plan to “enhance fan experience” at the 12-year-old arena.

At the time, BSE announced that future projects covered by the plan include creating a communal gathering space and improved food and beverage offerings on the upper concourse as well as upgrading and adding to existing premium spaces in the arena, upgrading arena entrances, and finishing off with a state of the art new centerhung, aka overhead scoreboard and sound system.

Details on that are expected soon.

Less specific are plans for creating an “ccosystem” around Barclays that according to BSE Global CEO Sam Zussman, could eventually include a hotel, conference center etc. According to Zussman, the Lakers investment in LA Live built around Cryto.com arena.

• New York Liberty Announce Dedicated State-of-the-Art Practice Facility in Brooklyn - New York Liberty

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/27...olb-jonquel-jones-breanna-stewart-keia-clarke

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Scotto: Brooklyn Nets signing Drew Timme to a two-year deal

Drew Timme who averaged 35.7 points last week to win the G League Player of the Week is being signed to a two-year deal by the Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to sign Drew Timme, the 6’10” 24-year-old center, to a two-year contract.

Mike Scotto of Hoopshype was first with the news...

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a two-year deal with Drew Timme, league sources told @hoopshype. Timme recently was named G League Player of the Week, averaging 35.7 points and 12.7 rebounds. Timme also had a career-high 50 points. pic.twitter.com/rLRTYt39VB

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) March 28, 2025​

The news comes the same night the Long Island Nets were eliminated from G League playoff contention, freeing up Timme for his rookie NBA contract.

Five days ago, the Gonzaga product scored a career high 50 points on 21-of-26 shooting, his final three points winning the G League contest vs. the Motor City Cruise. The deal is reportedly a standard NBA contract with a team option the next season. Brooklyn has had an opening since Ben Simmons was bought out after the trade deadline. Killian Hayes filled it briefly when he signed to a 10-day deal. He was not extended.

Timme was a three-time all-American and a consensus first team selection in 2023 (along with Jalen Wilson of Kansas, now with Brooklyn.) Last season, he signed with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks affiliate but averaged only 9.0 points 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 12 games before his season was cut short by a left foot fracture.

Then this season, he started with the Stockton Kings where he was averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds until his fortunes changed in January when traded to Long Island in a three-team deal. Since then, he’s averaged 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 20 games.

“It’s great to find a place where you’re given an opportunity to really be able to show what you have,” Timme told NetsDaily. “It’s exactly what I wanted when the trade went through and I couldn’t be more happy to be here.”

As a whole, Timme said he’s been happy with the Nets organization. He said that the fit and the trust the coaching staff has in him is truly “awesome.” “It’s really helped me find my way.”

When asked about his goals, Timme kept it short and sweet with ND, “I want a call-up. That’s the point of the G-League, to develop, continue to get better, and get to where you want to go. Where I want to go is the league. If I can just come in and keep proving it and keep being consistent, maybe one day it’ll happen. That’s the goal, that’s the dream and maybe one day it will happen.”

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/27...yn-nets-signing-drew-timme-to-a-two-year-deal

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets vs. LA Clippers preview: Nets begin a back-to-back

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Nets begin a back-to-back and say hello to Ben Simmons as he returns to Brooklyn.

One day closer to go. The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night, and the Raps beat them by 30 points. One step closer to the lottery, and one potential step closer to capturing the Flagg who in case you missed it was wowing NBA scouts and alike only 11 miles away in Newark last night.

The opponent tonight is looking to make one more push up the Western Conference standings. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently sixth in the West, but are within striking distance of the crosstown Lakers at the four seed. The Clips helped their cause by beating the New York Knicks at MSG on Wednesday night.

Where to follow the game​

YES Network on TV. Gotham Sports on the App. WFAN on radio. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.

Injuries (Updated)​

No Cam Thomas, De’Anthony Melton, or Day’ron Sharpe. Noah Clowney, Ziaire Williams or Trendon Watford are all questionable. Drew Timme, the 6’10” 24-year-old big who had been dominating the G League, was signed by the Nets Friday morning. He’s available. With the Long Island Nets mathematically eliminated from the G League playoff race last night, Tosan Evbuomwan, Reece Beekman and Tyson Etienne are also available for NBA duties? Expect a lot of evaluation.

No Jordan Miller. Everybody else is good.

The game​

The Clippers won the first meeting in January.

Hey James Harden is here. The bitterness from his Nets exit is gone and now that he’s set in Los Angeles, everyone has moved on. Harden has done a ton of heavy lifting for the Clips and was named an All Star for the first time in a few years. Against a player like Harden, it’s best to ignore the shooting percentages because he’s always a risk to have a big game whenever he’s on the court.

For Keon Johnson and the Nets backcourt, they’ll have to make sure they don’t get into foul trouble against Harden and make shots difficult for him. Per Basketball Reference, Harden is shooting 64.6% on shots inside of three feet, which is down from last season but still above his career averages. Don’t see surprised if James makes some news when talking to the media about the good old days (?) of the Big Three.

Without Sharpe, the Nets are down a big against one of the league’s best rebounders. Ivica Zubac is fourth in the NBA in rebounding at 12.5 a night. He’s also someone you have to pay attention to on offense as the big guy is averaging a career high 16.4 points a night. Zu has a soft touch at the rim and is a good pick and roll partner for Clips guards. Nic Claxton will need to have a big game on both sides of the ball if he wants to keep Zubac from dominating the interior.

In Long Island, it’s the Girls Night Out game as the LI Nets will be honoring the New York Liberty. The big club did that on Wednesday night, and it was well received by the fans at the ‘clays. The WNBA champs made some moves of their own, which we covered here.

Oh, almost forgot. Ben Simmons is back in Brooklyn. Similar to Harden, his run here did not go the way he, the organization, or the fans wanted and he left everyone feeling unsatisfied. By all accounts, he seems to be adjusting well to his new role with the Clips. We’ll see how the Barclays faithful responds when he checks in for the first time.

Player to watch: Kawhi Leonard​

It’s real simple: When he plays, he’s outstanding. In 29 games, he’s been averaging around 20 points and six rebounds on .487/.390/.784 splits. The goal of course is to make sure he’s healthy for the playoffs so he can go all out. Brooklyn is seeing Leonard at an especially tough time (for them) as he’s shot at least 50% from the field in seven straight games. He does everything at a high level, and when it’s time to get a bucket, give him the ball and get out the way

That’s the good stuff.

Cam Johnson figures to get the assignment against the Board Man. He’s been off since Monday as the Nets have begun working more diligently on preparing for next season and beyond. With this being the front half of a back-to-back, we’ll see how long CJ is out there for. LA only allows teams to shoot 35.2% from 3-point range, third lowest mark in the league. Johnson has been adept at getting his own shot this season, and it will be fun to see him apply his improvements against a potential championship contender.

From the Vault​

It’s my favorite weekend of the college basketball season, the Elite Eight! With that in mind, let’s take it back to two of my all time favorites

More reading: Clipperholics and SB Nation NBA

• Brooklyn Nets Game Notes - Brooklyn Nets
• Los Angeles Clippers Game Notes - Los Angeles Clippers
• Clippers continue playoff push against woeful Nets - NBA
• Los Angeles plays Brooklyn, seeks 4th straight road win - AP
• Ben Simmons tells The Post how he’s putting Nets calamity behind him - Brian Lewis - New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/28...preview-kawhi-leonard-cam-johnson-ben-simmons

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets limp to another blowout loss against Los Angeles Clippers, 132-100

Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images

Ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day.

The Brooklyn Nets trailed 68-48 at halftime on Friday night.

They had just been victimized by one of those stretches from a very spry Kawhi Leonard, all-encompassing dominance that decided the game in the second quarter. The Nets actually won the first quarter, which looked and surely felt nice after getting 30-pieced by the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.

In a very courteous gesture to the beat writers, Brooklyn wasted no time letting us know which direction the game was headed in the third quarter. Turnover, James Harden pull-up, turnover, Kawhi Leonard pull-up. Jordi Fernández timeout. The innocent promise of the offseason inches closer...

Nets down 20 at halftime. Start the 3Q with two turnovers, and LAC is just messing around.

Jordi calls a timeout.

Michigan State game looks good tho pic.twitter.com/26id9yGQgE

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 29, 2025​

It wasn’t as ugly as these two teams’ first matchup in Los Angeles, a 126-67 defeat that was the most lopsided in Nets history, but only in a literal sense. Brooklyn would lose this game — again, a game in which they had won the first quarter — by 32 points.

“Who do you want to be?” asked Jordi Fernández in postgame. “It goes down to, you know, we have high expectations on how we want to do things, and how we want to compete ... I gotta find a way to engage our players better, to play the right way, and that’s what we’ve done so far. Whether you win or lose, you play the right way with the right intentions.”

Harden and Leonard were in pickup-mode for the game’s second half, as two of the most talented players ever just let it eat. The ex-Net scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Leonard dropped 31/6/2/4/2 on 10-of-14. Ivica Zubac shot 9-of-9, for good measure.

Some of you will be interested to know that Ben Simmons, who did not receive a ‘thank you’ graphic from Brooklyn on the video board and heard booing late in the game, missed all three of his shots. Some of you will not...

Ben Simmons encouraging the Boos from Nets fans as he checks into the game. #Netsworld pic.twitter.com/mVEIIzrBCi

— NetsKingdom (@NetsKingdomAJ) March 29, 2025​

As for Brooklyn, their end-of-bench, end-of-season characters provided the most excitement. Gonzaga legend Drew Timme, making his NBA debut after signing his first NBA contract, posted an 11-and-10 double-double.

Drew Timme descends from the heavens to cut L.A.'s lead to 39: pic.twitter.com/zLWb1E1KJk

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 29, 2025​

Drew Timme kept it real, postgame: “I mean, I was nervous as crap out there, but it was awesome, you know? It was a dream come true. And I like this feeling. I don’t want it to end, so I gotta keep working hard.”

Said Jordi Fernández of what stood out about his newest player: “Just being in the right spot every time, having a great feel. You know, you can tell why he was the college player that he was.”

Two-way player Tyson Etienne entered in the fourth quarter, scoring his first eight career points as well, featured in a lineup alongside, Timme, Maxwell Lewis, Reece Beekman, and Tosan Evbuomwan. Even Dariq Whitehead, who scored five points, was too accomplished for such a stage.

So, not only did Timme debut on Friday night, but he was second on the Nets in minutes with 25. Tanking? Perhaps. But it’s not like any of the starters, led by Keon Johnson’s 13 points, deserved to play much more. The weight of expectations, or lack thereof, has finally set in at Barclays Center.

(Jalen Wilson played 28 minutes, either a worrying indicator of his status on the team, or a reward for playing hard on a lifeless evening.)

In sum, Brooklyn shot 37/30/77 on Friday night, quite different than the Clippers’ 55/51/89. Even Patty Mills got in the game for the visiting side, and he even caught a heater, hitting three 3-pointers in mega-garbage time.

With one minute left, some of the C-team Nets doubled Mills to get it out of his hands. Can’t let the old man embarrass you on the your home floor, right? Later in the possession, Mills got the ball back and was fouled on a 3-pointer. The aging Aussie scored 14 points in his seven minutes of action.

Final Score: Los Angeles Clippers 132, Brooklyn Nets 100

Milestone Watch​

It’s Drew Timme night!

• He became the fifth Net to record a double-double in their NBA debut. He joins Terrence Williams, Derrick Coleman, Buck Williams, and Calvin Natt.
• Ziaire Williams completed the first four-point play of his career in the first quarter.
• Cam Johnson’s first 3-pointer of the game was his 158th of the season, moving him into a tie with Kerry Kittles (1996-97) for 11th place in Nets single-season history.

Drew Timme introduced​

Prior to the game, the man of the hour spoke to assembled media, discussed what he’s learned in his brief time since leaving Gonzaga, what makes the Long Island Nets unique within the G League, and more.

“You gotta grab the bull by the horns,” said Timme, when asked for the most important lesson he’s learned as a pro. “I think my first year especially, I kinda came in a little more passive and, ‘oh, let’s see what happens. Yeah, I’m not gonna assert myself as much, I don’t wanna ruffle too many feathers.’”

Clearly, that’s since changed, as he averaged 23.9 points per game in 29 appearances with Long Island, including a 50-piece in the week before signing his NBA contract. Naturally, he gave much of the credit to a Long Island coaching staff spearheaded Head Coach Mfon Udofia.

“You know, the G is not the prettiest thing around, but it motivates you to work hard. And the staff down there is amazing. They’re great, they know what to do. They know how to get you to where you want to go, and they’re on you every day, and might be annoying sometimes. But on the whole, it’s great. And you know, those guys really helped me get to where I am right now. So I’m very appreciative.”

Next Up​

Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images

A back-to-back for the Brooklyn Nets, and the potential for a real tank-off. They’re traveling down I-95 to face the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, with tip-off scheduled 7:00 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Los Angeles Clippers 132, Brooklyn Nets 100 - NBA
• Game Highlights: Los Angeles Clippers 132, Brooklyn Nets 100 (Video) - NBA
• Drew Timme on joining the Nets (Video) - YES Network
• Jordi Fernández on blowout loss to the Clippers (Video) - YES Network
• The Nets celebrate HBCU Night in Brooklyn (Video) - YES Network
• Ask the Announcers: What’s the timeline for the Nets? (Video) - YES Network
• Clippers beat Nets 132-100 for their 2nd straight victory and 10th in 12 games - AP
• Surging Clippers heap another blowout loss on Nets - Reuters
• Nets give youth movement a chance in uncompetitive loss to Clippers - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets’ losing streak extends to six games after 132-100 bludgeoning at hands of Clippers - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Nets Notebook: Drew Timme talks new deal, Ben Simmons returns to Brooklyn - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Ben Simmons reflects on Nets tenure during return to Brooklyn - Erik Slater - Clutch Points

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/28/24396275/nets-vs-clippers-132-100-kawhi-leonard-drew-timme

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Breanna Stewart re-signs with New York Liberty, continuing big off-season

Photo by Pamela Costello/Getty Images

The New York Liberty make another big move as they officially re-sign Breanna Stewart.

On February 1, 2023, everything changed for the New York Liberty. It was the day they signed Breanna Stewart and stepped into an exciting new future. Two years and one WNBA championship later, Stewart and the Liberty will run it back.

On Saturday, the Liberty announced that they have re-signed the future Hall of Famer in a tweet...

View this post on Instagram​

A post shared by New York Liberty (@nyliberty)​

“Bringing Stewie back to the Liberty was our top priority this offseason,” Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. “Her impact on and off the court is immeasurable—she’s not only one of the best and most accomplished players in the world, but a leader whose relentless drive is foundational to the standard we continue to build upon in New York.”

The (North Syracuse) New York native is one of basketball’s greatest players and when the game gets tough, you can count on her to make something special happen. Whether it’s through tremendous and timely off ball movement

Or just putting her head down to get a gotta have it bucket

She can do anything imaginable on a basketball court. The competition in the W is only getting tougher, and team ownership and management believe having “Stewie” will help keep the Liberty in championship contention.

Stewart has been incredibly involved off the court as well. Stewie has been a big part of New York's community work and played a big part in the design of the Liberty’s upcoming practice facility. As one of the leaders of the franchise, she has taken on the responsibility of representing the team everywhere she goes and putting her best foot forward. Liberty fans have a deep love and appreciation for the team, and Stewart’s community work helps nurture it for fans of all ages and backgrounds.

Madeline Kenney of the New York Post shared the contract details on BlueSky

It's official. The Liberty just announced they re-signed Breanna Stewart. I'm told it's a one-year guaranteed deal at $208,400.

— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney.bsky.social) 2025-03-29T15:02:28.101Z

If you're concerned about Stewie signing a one year contract, don't be! During the WNBA Finals, Stewart explained why she doesn't mind burning through her core designations and signing one year contracts:

"Just so I can continue to have that kind of flexibility going forward. It’s kind of hard to tell, because you don’t know obviously if we opt in or opt out, but with the potential from the new TV deal — how does everything play into effect.”

We’re a few months away from CBA negotiations between the WNBPA and the league owners. As one of the vice presidents of the Union, Stewart will play a big role in how things go. She and Napheesa Collier debuted their new 3x3 league Unrivaled this winter, and it was a big success. That should influence negotiations and give the players even more leverage.

Stewart's return caps off what's been an intriguing offseason for the champs. Although they lost Kayla Thornton to the expansion draft and Courtney Vandersloot to the Chicago Sky in free agency, they made up for it by trading for Natasha Cloud and re-signing Marine Johannès. With Stewart officially back in the fold, the Liberty figure to have one of the best defenses in the WNBA. Stewie is perhaps the best help defender in league history,. Having another All-Defense team member like Cloud alongside her ... as well as:

• Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
• Jonquel Jones
• Leonie Fiebich
• Kennedy Burke
• Rebekah Gardner

... should allow Stewie to roam a bit more and disrupt opposing offenses

Of course, she’s an excellent on ball defender and is aware of everyone on the court even when it looks like she might be at a disadvantage

The Liberty have the perfect blend of length, size, and athleticism up and down the roster. It will be fascinating to see the lineups Sandy Brondello and the coaching staff cook up throughout the season.

Stewart is currently recovering from minor knee surgery, but will be good to go by training camp. She made an appearance Wednesday night at the Nets’ “Women’s Impact” game.

Since 2019, the New York Liberty have been pressing all the right buttons. They’ve made big investments on the roster, within the organization, and in the community. The results have been overwhelmingly positive and New York now stands as one of the best franchises in basketball. Breanna Stewart has been a big part of that success and now that she will be returning for her third season in Brooklyn, has a chance to cement their status as one of the great WNBA teams of all time.

Saturday’s announcement is the second big news break for the Liberty in three days. On Thursday, the team revealed plans for a new 75,000 square foot, $80 million training facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/29...eason-contract-return-jonathan-kolb-unrivaled

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Timme Time: Brooklyn Nets end losing streak with late win over Washington Wizards, 115-112

Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

In a battle between two teams with a lot on the line (in May,) The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Washington Wizards, 115-112, in our nation’s capital.

The NBA’s two leaders in playing the most youngsters — those under 25 — this season are the Washington Wizards with 19 and the Brooklyn Nets with 18. But by the end of Saturday night’s marathon between the two Cooper Flagg hopefuls in our nation’s capital, it was the Nets kids, particularly two boyhood pals, who showed up last and with the most poise.

Jalen Wilson and Drew Timme, two 24-year-old Texas natives who’ve known each other since the fourth grade, combined for 39 points, 13 boards and six assists ... and scored the Nets final six points to win the game, 115-112, and end a six-game losing streak.

The dramatic win was marred by injuries within a minute of each other in the fourth quarter to Cam Johnson who appeared to fall on his tail bone, and Noah Clowney who once again suffered an ankle injury. Both had been key to the Nets comeback. Head coach Jordi Fernandez said post-game that both are being assessed but he had no information on the severity of the injuries.

Wilson and Timme, also first team All-Americans in 2023, played off each other the entire night but the night’s big moment was Timme’s. With the Wizards up one 112-111, following A.J. Johnson’s 32-foot 3-pointer, the last of his 14 fourth quarter points, Fernandez took a timeout and drew up a play for the 6’10” Gonzaga product that worked to perfection. Tyrese Martin hit Timme with the pass as J.T. Thor vainly tried to block it, only to be called for a goal tend...

"Timme Time comes to March once again!"@drewtimme2 with the game-winner!! pic.twitter.com/kzzSl5G6sX

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) March 30, 2025​

After Washington’s Colby Jones threw the ball out of bounds under the Wizards basket, Thor quickly fouled Wilson who calmly stroked two free throws giving the Nets a three-point lead with 1.2 seconds. Jones missed a buzzer beater and that was all she wrote.

“It was a two man game for Tyrese and Drew,” Fernandez told the media. “knowing [Timme’s] pretty crafty around the rim. Also, Tyrese had just made a shot and Tyrese made the right play.

“We still needed that stop. Good job by JWil making free throws ... 20 points off the bench... He did a great job today. It got a little scary towards the end. We had three turnovers and two and a half minutes when we were up nine.”

For Timme, it was his second night in the NBA and now has scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, all off the bench, in his two games. It was only a week ago that he scored 50 points in a Long Island Nets game, winning that one and earning a call-up and a two-year minimum deal.

“I love the bright lights, I guess,” Timme joked with Megan Triplett when asked about his success in March, both this year and in his March Madness turns with the Zags.

“That’s just what we drew up: ‘Rese downhill finishes it or if they help, hit me. If not the corner’s open if they overhelp. So we just made the right play and it happened to be my play. They goal-tended but I think it was going in anyway.”

Timme and Wilson were two of six Nets in double figures by game’s end. Martin finished with 20, Cam Johnson 18, Keon Johnson 15 and Clowney 13. Ziaire Williams and Dariq Whitehead went scoreless.

The game was an up-and-down affair with the Nets going 17 points points with 4:13 in the first half, then rallying in the fourth, going up by nine late before A.J. Johnson led the Wizards back. Timme said that Fernandez had some PG comments at the half.

“Coach told us basically to nut up, in a PG way. He was like y’all got to (fight). they got 23 free throws, we have three or four. You can say it’s the refs all you want, but at the end of the day you’ve got to attack. You’ve got to make them make calls. So offensively and defensively we had to be more aggressive and that’s what we tried to do.”

As Noah Eagle said at one point, “Timme likes it.”

Standings Watch​

Into every win, a little losing must fall. Brooklyn’ win and Philadelphia’s loss to Miami means that the Nets have dropped out of a tie for sixth best odds and are now a half-game behind the Sixers with seven to go. Before Saturday, the two teams were 1-9 in their last ten and owners of six-game losing streaks.

Milestone Watch​

• Keon Johnson hit five 3-pointers, tying his career high.
• Drew Timme is now averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 rebound and 2.0 assists. His 30 points ties the Nets record for most points in a player’s first two games, tying Derrick Coleman.

Up Next​

The Nets travel to Dallas Monday night to face the Mavs for a second time in two weeks. Not only is Anthony Davis back, but Dallas may have two of its bigs, Derrick Lively and Daniel Gafford back. It’s a late start: 8:30 p.m. ET.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 115, Washington Wizards 112 - NBA
• Game Highlights: Brooklyn Nets 115, Washington Wizards 112 (Video) - NBA
• Drew Timme on his performance in the Nets’ win (Video) - Meghan Triplett - YES Network
• Tyrese Martin on the team battling adversity (Video) - YES Network
• Jordi Fernández on the Nets’ 115-112 win in D.C. (Video) - YES Network
• Best Ask the Announcers moments of the year (Video) - YES Network
• Jordi Fernández, Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin Discuss Win Over Wizards (Video) - Brooklyn Nets
• Drew Timme scores go-ahead basket in the Nets’ 115-112 victory over the NBA-worst Wizards - AP
• Nets beat Wizards to snap six-game losing skid - Reuters
• Nets lose two starters to injury in pyrrhic win over lowly Wizards - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Jalen Wilson, Nets end 6-game losing streak after defeating Washington Wizards - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Jordi Fernandez’s biggest challenge down the stretch? Keeping the Nets engaged - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/29...with-late-win-over-washington-wizards-115-112

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

With season over and no playoffs, Long Island Nets still had development positives

Photo by Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images

The Long Island Nets finished the G League season with a 17-17 record, just missing the playoffs, but it’s all about development and they did pretty pretty good.

Despite making a late run at the end of the season, Long Island had too much of an uphill battle, and they couldn’t catch the Indiana Mad Ants in the standings and failed to make the G League playoffs. So they ended their season Saturday night at Nassau Coliseum losing 128-93 to the Cleveland Charge ... five of their players in Washington toiling for the big club.

Indeed, Long Island’s elimination led to a purging of the Long Island Nets roster. The big club called back their three two-way players, Reece Beekman, Tosan Evbuomwan, and Tyson Etienne, and signed Drew Timme to a standard two-year deal. They also called up Dariq Whitehead to get more NBA minutes.

That is the point of the NBA G-League: Development. Despite finishing with a 17-17 record in the regular season, Long Island’s pro basketball team had a very productive season when it comes to development ... and had the resumes and accolades to prove it.

Let’s start with the guy who’s currently making the biggest splash in Brooklyn team, Drew Timme. It’s interesting to look back on the season and where Long Island was to start the Tip-Off Tournament. Back then, Long Island was not a good rebounding team, and their big man, Patrick Gardner, wasn’t getting the job done.

Long Island knew a change had to be made and traded for Timme in late December for the start of the regular season. Timme brought some much-needed size and strength to Long Island and led the team in just about every category you could imagine. After being acquired in a three-way deal from the Stockton Kings, he thrived.

Only last week, Timme hit a career-high 50-point game and was named a G-League Player of the Week. He became the fifth Long Island player in history to be named the G-League Player of the Week, and the first this season.

In his first interviews in Brooklyn, Timme shouted out the Long Island coaching staff led by Mfon Udofia.

“The G is not the prettiest thing around,” he told Meghan Triplett of YES Network. “It motivates you to work hard and the staff down there is amazing. They’re great. They know what to do. They know how to get you to where you want to go and they’re on you every day and it might be annoying sometimes but on the whole it was great and those guys really helped me get where I am right now and I’m very appreciative.”

After he came to the Island, Timme averaged 23.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his 20 games played. He also worked on his three-point percentage a great deal, seeing it jump from 12.5% on one attempt a game in Stockton to to 38.5% on three attempts in Long Island. To make matters more impressive, Timme was the only player in the G-League this year to average a 20-10 double-double.

Dariq Whitehead had quite the redemption arc this year. From a tough Summer League when he was just coming off rehab from his 2024 surgery — his third in 22 months — to some big games on Long Island and Brooklyn, the signature one a 30-point effort back on February 23, when he hit 8-of-12 threes and won the game for Long Island. For the season, Whitehead averaged 12.7 points on 38/34/71 shooting to go along with four boards and two assists. (Whitehead has actually shot better in Brooklyn stints, hitting 43.2% of his threes.)

The big benefit for Whitehead is that he’s finishing up his first full regular season healthy since Montverde Academy back in 2021-22. He told NetsDaily back in February about how he was looking forward to this summer.

“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,” he told ND after that big G League game in February. “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.”

He has also admitted that recovering his explosiveness is the next step and the G League helped provide him with the opportunity to play and push that development as well.

Then there’s Killian Hayes who came into the season with a similar story to Whitehead’s , battling injuries and looking for his redemption. He was unceremoniously dumped by Detroit a year ago after having a rough go shooting the ball. In fact, he had finished last in effective shooting percentage his first three years in the NBA. Despite that, the Nets gave him a chance and by the end of his first season in the G League he had become a solid shooter, hitting 37.1% of his threes in Long Island, then 38.1% in his short time with Brooklyn. He had never hit 30% in his three and a half years with Detroit.

In Long Island’s final game in suburban Montreal earlier this month, Hayes looked like a man with something to prove. After the Nets hadn’t extended his first 10-day deal Hayes played with a vengeance, notching a career-high 38 points, which included another personal best of eight three-pointers.

“Putting in the work,” Hayes told ND about how his shot has been developing. “Just being confident at the end of the day. I like how my shot is feeling. I like my chances when I shoot the ball. That’s one of the reasons I started going in, just to have that intent whenever I shoot.”

Hayes fixed his shot in his time on Long Island. He played arguably the best basketball of his career this year, and that’s in large part due to the development of Hayes by head coach, Mfon Udofia. Udofia has a knack of developing some talents like Noah Clowney, Jalen Wilson, and others. It was no different with Hayes.

“It’s part of his development,” said Udofia of Hayes’ shooting improvement. “Of course when you come to the G-League you have things you’d like to work on, and you want to be selfish about. It’s what we’re here for.

“Our coaching staff has been doing a really good job with Killian, he’s been putting the work in each and every day, and you can see it paying off. To see him have success has been great because he puts so much work in and he’s been working really hard.”

It remains to be seen where Hayes goes from here, but he is eligible for a second 10-day and interestingly, on Saturday, he suddenly was NWT — “not with the team” — and Oshae Brissett, the former Celtic, replaced him on the roster. Hayes had been shut down two days before that after he injured his ankle. Hayes told ND that getting to the league is the “ultimate goal.” Hayes was one of Long Island’s best players, and it’s easy to see why. He was a scoring machine who was able to get his teammates involved.

As Timme said, it wasn’t just about numbers with Hayes with whom he shared a great chemistry. “I think we’re all surprised he’s still down here, to be honest, with the way he carries himself and has been playing,” Timme told ND.

Tyson Etienne grew a ton over the Tip-Off Tournament and regular season. Etienne was far from Long Island’s best player in the Tip-Off Tournament but grew a lot, worked on his shot, and wound up being one of Long Island’s signature players, earning himself a two-way deal with Brooklyn.

Kendall Brown might have the same luck if he hadn’t suffered an abductor injury. Another one of Long Island’s better players, had been given a two-way contract but after the injury, Brooklyn cut and he hasn’t played since, despite being on the Long Island bench. (He was the second two-way player with bad luck. Yongxi “Jacky” Cui, the Chinese phenom, who the Nets signed in preseason, tore his ACL in December and was waived.)

Overall, seven Long Island Nets got call-ups throughout the season, a healthy number. It represents almost a third of the call-ups in Long Island’s nine-year history (19).

————-

With all those call-ups, it was no surprise that Long Island lost their final game of the season on Saturday night in rough fashion, as the Cleveland Charged torched them, 128-93. The only two real positives in Long Island’s game on Saturday came in Mark Armstrong and Jordan Minor.

Armstrong finished with 30 points leading the team, adding two rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block in 44 minutes. The 6’2” 21-year-old was Villanova’s starting point guard last season but went undrafted.

Minor, who was second on the team in scoring with 25 points. Minor flirted with a double-double picking up nine rebounds. A Virginia product, Minor was signed after participating in a local tryout last fall.

Trevon Scott, the 6’8” 28-year-old PF, also played 40 minutes and scored 12 points.

The game, Long Island’s Fan Appreciation Night, attracted 4,035 fans. The night earlier, on Girl’s Night Out, the team attracted another 2,953. Overall, the season represented a big improvement in attendance for the affiliate. The team attracted more than 7.000 fans four times this season — three as “Les Nets” at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, and once on Education Night in Long Island.

Despite the uncertainty about Nassau Coliseum — Las Vegas Sands has applied for a casino license at the Coliseum site that would result in its destruction, the Nets say they are not currently seeking to relocate the team.

“The Long Island Nets have no current plans to relocate the team from its home arena, Nassau Coliseum, and remain dedicated to creating an exciting, family-friendly environment for our fans both locally and throughout the region,” BSE Global, the Nets parent company, said in a statement to NetsDaily.

Cleveland dominated the first quarter, shooting 64.0 percent from the field. The Charge closed the first quarter ahead by 21, 41-20. Long Island tried to battle back in the second quarter, but Cleveland outscored the Nets 30-26 in the period. The Charge went into halftime ahead by 25, 71-46.

Long Island continued to put pressure on Cleveland, but its efforts were not enough. The Charge outscored the Nets 30-17 and closed the third quarter ahead by 38, 101-63. Long Island found its groove late in the fourth quarter, but it was too late. Cleveland defeated Long Island by 35, 128-93.

Cleveland two-way Nae’Qwan Tomlin posted a game-high 41 points along with 14 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 35 minutes. Charge guard Jules Bernard posted 29 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block in 28 minutes.

• Boxscore: Cleveland Charge 128, Long Island Nets 93 - G League

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/30...g-island-nets-still-had-development-positives

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

LIVE DISCUSSION: Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards, 7:00 p.m. ET

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

* Checks tankathon *

As NetsDaily’s Jordan Greene wrote in the game preview: “In their last two games, the Nets and Wizards both lost and gave up up nearly 300 points — 294 to be exact.” There really isn’t much more to it than that. Both teams are losing and losing bad. The only date these fanbases can look forward to at this rate is May 12.

NETS VS. WIZARDS​

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Opponent: Washington Wizards (16-57)

Tune In: YES Network (Gotham Sports App); WFAN radio

NOTE: Games on April 3, 6, 8, 11, and 13 will be televised on “New York 55” ... or you can stream on the Gotham Sports App. Yankees baseball is back.

Game Preview | Jordan Greene​

Injury Report: Cam Thomas (hamstring) and DeAnthony Melton (ACL) are out for the season. Day’Ron Sharpe will miss his third straight game with a sprained right knee and both D’Angelo Russell and Nic Claxton will be resting on the back end of a back-to-bad. Noah Clowney’s questionable with illness. Cam Johnson, rested on Friday, will be back. The G League kids are all available.

For the Wizards, it’s looking rough. Khris Middleton (knee), Kyshawn George (ankle), Anthony Gill (hip), Malcolm Brogdon (ankle), Saddiq Bey (G-League), Corey Kispert (thumb), and Bilal Coulibaly (hamstring) will all be out. Marcus Smart is questionable with an illness.

The Game: [The Nets] are in full evaluation mode as Jordi Fernandez has noted. In addition to the new additions to the team in Timme and Etienne, the roster is filled with players whose future remains uncertain. Timme is one of five young Nets with team options. Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams are all restricted free agents and of the three two-ways, only Tosan Evbuomwan is under contract for next year.

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/2025/3/29...ooklyn-nets-at-washington-wizards-7-00-p-m-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

BREAKING: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton to miss most, if not all, of 2025 after undergoing meniscus repair.

Photo by Pamela Costello/Getty Images

The New York Liberty announced on Monday morning that the beloved Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is at risk of missing all of 2025.

Well, f***.

On Monday afternoon, the New York Liberty announced Betnijah Laney-Hamilton underwent surgery to repair an acute meniscus injury in her left knee, and is in danger of missing the whole 2025 season...

Get well soon, @BetnijahLaney pic.twitter.com/kRGn66dc9F

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) March 31, 2025​

The WNBA playoffs beginning on September 14, smack-dab in the middle of Laney-Hamiltons 5-6 month recovery timeline. The absolute best-case scenario is that she returns for a couple of ramp-up games at the end of the regular season before New York’s title defense begins in earnest; the more likely scenario is that Laney-Hamilton is done for the season. After all, there is much “basketball activity” to be done before suiting up for a real game is possible.

As a relief player, Laney-Hamilton appeared in Unrivaled, the winter league brainchild of Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, for two games this February. After her second appearance, it was reported that she had suffered a left knee injury, and that the New York Liberty would eventually provide an update. Well, here’s the update.

Laney-Hamilton is no stranger to knee injuries. She missed nearly two of her first three WNBA seasons with a torn left ACL. In 2022, she underwent surgery on her right knee to address meniscus cartilage.

Then, last July, she underwent “clean-up” surgery in her right knee before returning to the lineup in late August; she started all 11 games of New York’s successful playoff run, including a 20-point outing in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals...

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was the X-factor in today’s Game 2 win, stepping up when it mattered most

20 PTS
8-14 FGM
4-6 3PM
2 AST#WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/14sAiPeXvV

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 13, 2024​

All the while, Laney-Hamilton was clearly not 100%. She admitted as such to reporters during a title run that culminated in a Game 5 finish for the ages, securing the 30-year-old forward’s very special place in franchise history.

Now looking to go back-to-back, New York may have to do it without her. Leonie Fiebich, coming off an WNBA All-Rookie season after years of experience in Europe, will certainly be placed in the starting lineup alongside Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and newcomer Natasha Cloud.

Beyond that, Kennedy Burke will see more minutes. Maybe there’s a sophomore leap (and real burn) for 2024 first-round pick Marquesha Davis. Veteran wing Rebekah Gardner is also going to get a chance to contribute. After tearing her achilles prior to last season, the Liberty acquired her in a trade from the Chicago Sky, knowing she wouldn’t play until 2025.

Will the New York Liberty survive Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s injury? Broadly, yes. Their starting five is elite at worst, and historically elite at best. The bench is not barren.

But their depth has taken a real hit, not to mention the loss of a hard-nosed fan-favorite who was a New Yorker before the Great Offseason of 2023...

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton warms up for the first time since injury (questionable to play tonight), and the early-arriving fans applaud her return to the court. B smiles through her first couple warmup shots. Such an awesome moment. pic.twitter.com/AKAKmqmCTz

— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) August 24, 2024​

Here’s hoping to the smoothest recovery possible.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/3/31...-after-undergoing-meniscus-repair-knee-injury

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Lewis: Giannis Antetokounmpo is still ‘Plan A’ for the Brooklyn Nets

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

On Monday, the New York Post’s Brian Lewis reminded us that the Brooklyn Nets still have their eye on one big prize.

The churn of the rumor mill has picked up.

On Monday evening, during the Brooklyn Nets’ victory over the Dallas Mavericks, Brian Lewis of the New York Post dropped an article detailing Brooklyn’s roster goals, and wasted no time getting to the heart of his article.

Multiple league personnel that have spoken with The Post say Giannis Antetokounmpo has been and remains Plan A for the Nets,

That’s just the first sentence!

It’s long been an open secret that the franchise is enamored with Antetokounmpo, briefly their greatest foe in the Eastern Conference. When the Nets were looking to add a centerpiece during the short-lived Mikal Bridges Era, Antetokounmpo was the dream for ownership and front office alike.

Though Brooklyn seemingly signaled full-scale rebuild last summer, thanks to those two monstrous trades, their half-hearted attempt at maximizing the value of their 2025 first-round pick has splashed a bit of cold water on that idea.

And now, with the Milwaukee Bucks sitting at sixth in the Eastern Conference and careening toward an early playoff exit, we have this. Brooklyn does own Milwaukee’s first-round pick this season, currently in the #17 slot, but it appears their attentiveness to the Bucks’ downfall is about more than just the draft.

Lewis made it clear Brooklyn’s interest in Antetokounmpo is not about short-circuiting a rebuild, but the two-time MVP’s singular talent.

If Antetokounmpo gets traded elsewhere this summer, that may make GM Sean Marks’ path simple, tanking for another year and building through the lottery,

In any case, the league seems to be readying itself for a trade request from the 30-year old Greek superstar. If that happens, Brooklyn can and apparently would make themselves heard; General Manager Sean Marks is working with 13 tradable first-round picks, the highest figure in the league, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. (Though with four first-rounders this June, that number is set to decline sharply in late June.)

Antetokounmpo could bang his fist on the table and proclaim retirement should he get traded anywhere else but Brooklyn. And, especially given the lack of exciting young talent on the Nets, he’d still cost Marks an obscene amount of draft capital. He’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But what happens if the two-time MVP is in Milwaukee past the June draft, when Marks usually makes his biggest moves? Are potential lesser targets like Ja Morant, Domantas Sabonis, Trae Young or LaMelo Ball worth emptying the proverbial clip for if it means abandoning all hope for the Greek Freak?

Less than one season after swiftly entering a rebuild, but before they’ve add the opportunity to add any blue-chip young talent to the roster, trading for any of those fringe All-Stars Lewis listed feels short-sighted.

But if the Nets are so gung-ho on Giannis, that presents a different problem. Lewis also asks this question:

Do the Nets move valuable veterans that might’ve been used in an Antetokounmpo bid, hoarding more picks for the rebuild? Or keep them in hopes of bidding on him next season, but end up with wins that damage a potential 2026 lottery pick?

Brooklyn’s fascination with Antetokounmpo aside (and whether they actually have any veterans Milwaukee would want), re-taking control of their 2025 and 2026 NBA drafts was rightfully lauded as a brilliant move last summer. But it hinged on the premise that the team would maximize the value of those two picks. The Nets seem set to hold the sixth-best lotto odds in 2025. The same outcome in 2026 would feel like a real missed opportunity ... potential ping-pong ball blessings aside.

Perhaps the most valuable piece of information Lewis wrote was this, previewing a summer in which Brooklyn will be the only team with real cap space:

League personnel expect them to hold their cap space for a big trade, not signings.

The Nets’ rebuild hasn’t begun in earnest quite yet. Though Jordi Fernández has exceeded expectations in his rookie year, an unquestionable positive, this is really Year Zero. Brooklyn hasn’t yet made any draft picks, or had an opportunity to add any franchise-changing talent ... apologies to the Drew Timme Fan Club.

So, does their continued interest in Giannis Antetokounmpo say anything important? Does the franchise view Antetokounmpo as an exception to any team-building philosophy? Or is Lewis’ reporting indicative of an aggressive outlook for this summer?

Only time will tell. But there is a real chance that just a few weeks from now, the Milwaukee Bucks will have been eliminated from the playoffs, Antetokounmpo is publicly pondering his next move, and the Brooklyn Nets are at the center of every rumor, their assets ready for disposal.

Remember that mostly-joking Antetokounmpo quote after the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Dončić?

“I want Luka to the Lakers, I want [Nikola] Jokić to the Knicks. I want all the Europeans to go to all the big markets to see something incredible. This is what I want. This is my dream.”

After all, there’s no bigger market than New York. It is after all what dreams are made of.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/4/1/...kounmpo-is-still-plan-a-for-the-brooklyn-nets