Entering Wednesday’s home matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder without Nic Claxton, D’Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas felt like a recipe for disaster, to some, for the Nets.
The visitors were 16.5-point favorites for good reason. Two losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves were the only blemishes on Oklahoma City’s schedule since the start of the month.
Brooklyn had no starting center. No starting point guard. No elite scoring threat. And it was coming off another frustrating loss to the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the NBA by a wide margin, just two nights prior.
However, the Nets — who were projected to win just 18.5 games this season — have been labeled underdogs all season long. So, naturally, they gave the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference all it could handle in a 129-121 loss where they led by as many as 18 points.
Still, the Thunder had no answer for Day’Ron Sharpe, who finished with a career-high 25 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals and three blocks in his first start of the season in place of a suspended Claxton.
Sharpe, who apparently signed a new lease at the rim before the game began, made his first eight attempts before missing a bunny late in the fourth quarter. He had nine points and two boards in his first seven minutes alone, and the tenacity he played with early held up across a career-high 31 minutes.
There were questions about Sharpe’s fitness and mobility earlier in his career. When given the opportunity to play meaningful extended minutes against the Thunder, he cooked, and proved those concerns are behind him.
But Sharpe wasn’t in the kitchen alone – early at least. The Nets lead Oklahoma City 40-29 after one quarter, their sixth 40-point quarter of the season against the undisputed No. 1 defense in the league.
Brooklyn led by 15 points at the break, and its 73 first-half points were the most it had scored in a half this season. Keep in mind, head coach Jordi Fernandez was forced to start Sharpe, Killian Hayes, Keon Johnson, Cam Johnson and Ziaire Williams. Sharpe set a new career high for points in a half with 18.
Brooklyn led by double figures for most of the third quarter, but you knew the Thunder, led by MVP frontrunner, weren’t going to submit. They kept clawing away their deficit, as championship contenders do, and a Chet Holmgren 3-pointer made it a one-point game with 11:03 left in regulation.
Then with 7:38 left, a Jalen Williams layup gave them their first lead of the night. And Brooklyn’s composure flatlined from there. Just like that, it was down 14 with 5:13 left.
The Nets were outscored 39-25 in the final frame, where they shot just 25.9% and committed five turnovers, which gifted Oklahoma City six points.
Unfortunately, that’s what happens to teams when they don’t have a closer. Disappointing finishes such as this will continue until Thomas returns.
Brooklyn fell to 21-37 with the loss and has now dropped two straight games. Wednesday’s loss overshadowed what was otherwise a strong team shooting night, as the Nets made a season-high 23 3-pointers.
All five starters made multiple treys for just the fourth time in franchise history, led by Hayes and Williams, who both made five.
In his fourth game as a Net, Hayes finished with 19 points, two rebounds and a game-high seven assists. Brooklyn tallied more than 30 assists for just the eighth time this season.
The Thunder shot 53.3% for the game, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 27 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Brooklyn will return to action on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers at Barclays Center.
Originally Published:
