The Nets had the No. 1 defense in the NBA over their last 10 games entering the All-Star break, and didn’t skip a beat at that end of the court on Thursday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. But offense remained a struggle throughout in their 110-97 loss against the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference at Barclays Center.
Cam Thomas‘ return can’t come soon enough. Brooklyn desperately needs his shot creation.
“Personnel-wise and considering Cam’s out, I feel like some of the offensive struggles will be expected,” Trendon Watford told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “Having the best defense in the league and then having one of the worst offenses in the league, I guess it’s a give and take.”
Both teams shot under 35% in the first quarter, but the Cavaliers made two more 3-pointers than Brooklyn and had a five-point edge at the free throw line. The visitors led 24-19 lead entering the second quarter.
The Nets’ early deficit could’ve been worse if it weren’t for Keon Johnson’s sizzling start. He led all scorers with eight points in the first quarter on 4-for-7 shooting. His teammates shot a combined 5-for-20 in the opening quarter.
However, Cam Jonson and Nic Claxton found their rhythm in the second quarter, and Watford provided a much-needed offensive boost off the bench — all without sacrificing their defensive intensity.
The Nets, who trailed by as many as eight points in the second quarter, shot 11-for-22 in the period (50%) while limiting Cleveland to 33.3% shooting. They went 20-for-50 from the field overall in the first half (40%) and committed 12 turnovers but went into the locker room leading 50-48 because of strong defense and 15-3 edge in second-chance points.
Cleveland was limited to 16-for-46 shooting in the first half (34.8%) and committed 11 turnovers. Both teams missed a combined 31 treys over the first 24 minutes.
Brooklyn struggled on defense in the third quarter, allowing 14 points from Donovan Mitchell in a 56% shooting effort for the Cavaliers. Both Johnsons went a combined 6-for-9 in the period but the Nets didn’t get much offense outside of them.
Tied at 69 with 4:26 left in the third quarter, Cleveland went on a 14-8 run to take an 83-77 lead into the final frame. The Nets were up five points with 8:39 left in the third quarter, but after D’Angelo Russell limped off because of a right ankle sprain, they gave up 11 unanswered points.
Russell didn’t return to the game. After that, momentum swung in the Cavaliers’ favor for good, as they outscored the Nets 27-20 in the fourth quarter to earn their 45th win of the season.
“We don’t know if he’s going to be out or not, so once that happens, we’ll figure it out,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said when asked about the Nets’ point guard rotation if Russell is forced to miss games. “We’ve never had problems with having the next-man-up mentality, and if that’s the case, I trust Killian and Trendon to run the team and help the team. Same as Tyrese [Martin].”
Entering the night, the Nets had won six of seven games dating back to Jan. 29. They saw their three-game win streak snapped on Thursday in a game where they shot just 40% from the field and committed 16 turnovers. Cleveland wasn’t much better at 42.6% for the game, but had a 25-15 advantage in fastbreak points and a 19-11 edge at the free throw line.
“I think we had a lot of effort today,” Cam Johnson said. “We just have to be able to execute at a high level for 48 [minutes].”
Cam and Keon Johnson scored a combined 34 points on 14-for-30 shooting. Watford added 13 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench, marking his fourth straight game reaching double figures. Nic Claxton finished with three blocked shots, extending his season-best streak of games with multiple blocked shots to six.
Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points, five rebounds and two assists, and Darius Garland added 18 points. Killian Hayes, who signed a 10-day contract with the Nets on Thursday, contributed five points and three assists off the bench and was minus-7 in just over 21 minutes.
Brooklyn will return to action on Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center.
Originally Published:
