Rookie guard Nolan Traore earned his second straight start for Brooklyn in Sunday’s preseason rematch with the Phoenix Suns, the second of two NBA China Games in Macao. After Friday’s overtime thriller, both teams played like they had unfinished business.
Unlike Friday’s meeting, the Suns came out sharper and more aggressive, setting up a back-and-forth battle that ended in a 111-109 Nets victory once the dust settled. Michael Porter Jr. opened the game firing confidently from deep, and Cam Thomas picked up right where he left off, knocking down shots from all over the floor to fuel another fast offensive start.
Still, the Nets struggled to contain Devin Booker, whose 3-for-3 start from beyond the arc helped the Suns build an early double-digit lead.
Midway through the quarter, head coach Jordi Fernández turned to his bench, subbing in Ziaire Williams, Day’Ron Sharpe, Noah Clowney and rookie Ben Saraf while keeping Thomas on the floor to anchor the offense. In need of a defensive spark, Fernández turned to rookie Drake Powell, fresh off his preseason debut in Friday’s loss, inserting him over Tyrese Martin with the second unit.
Phoenix kept its foot on the gas in the second quarter, stretching a 34–23 advantage after one to 14 points with 9:19 left in the half. However, Sharpe’s energy on the glass and physical play inside ignited an 8–0 run, trimming the deficit to six with 6:28 left in the half and forcing a Suns timeout.
Three free throws from Thomas, after drawing a foul on Dillon Brooks with 8.6 seconds left in the half, cut the deficit to two heading into the break. He led all scorers at halftime with 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 7-of-8 from the free-throw line. Brooklyn closed the half with confidence after a slow defensive start.
Traore struggled early in the second half against Phoenix’s ball pressure, committing three straight turnovers and four in his first 17 minutes. He was replaced later in the third quarter by Saraf, who steadied the offense with four assists in the period and finished with a game-high 11 assists to just three turnovers in 22 minutes.
However, eight turnovers in the third quarter led to 12 points for the Suns, and Phoenix’s 57.1% shooting in the period created an 88–81 deficit for the Nets entering the fourth quarter.
Though Martin didn’t see the floor until the fourth quarter, he made the most of his opportunity, scoring nine quick points on perfect 3-for-3 shooting (2-for-2 from deep) in just five minutes. He capped the run with a three-point play off a sharp feed from rookie Danny Wolf to tie the game at 103 with 3:21 remaining.
After Jared Butler’s 3-pointer tied the game at 109 with 17.9 seconds left, Martin drew a foul on a deep shot on Brooklyn’s next possession and calmly sank two of three free throws to give the Nets a late edge. The Suns’ final full-court heave was deflected as time expired, sealing Brooklyn’s comeback win.
Thomas led the Nets with 16 points on 4-of-12 shooting, but once again it was the rookies who stole the spotlight. Despite Traore’s turnover troubles, Brooklyn got encouraging performances from its young core — including nine points and four assists from Wolf in just 12 minutes, along with another strong showing from Powell.
Brooklyn will wrap up its preseason schedule on Friday when it visits the Toronto Raptors.
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