Brooklyn Nets defeat Charlotte Hornets 116-115 in wild Emirates Cup games

The Charlotte Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. It happened fast and early, but with some lemon water, a cold compress and steals, the Nets were able to recover. Buzz Kill.

Although the Nets dropped their NBA In-Season Tournament debut against the New York Knicks on Friday, Tuesday night marked their first home game in the event. Special towels were handed out to fans before the game, and a gaudy gray-and-gold pitch injected Barclays with a different feel than what you usually get in November contests between two cellar-dwellers.

Even with all the hype building up, the Nets lost some pep in their step even before things tipped off when Cam Thomas was unable to match up. Brooklyn tagged CT with a “probable” injury designation — with tightness in the lower back — but was downgraded to questionable and then OUT before game time.

After the injury numbed Brooklyn’s mood, the Hornets numbed it, building a 22-7 lead by starting the game 6-of-6 on field goals and 5-of-5 from deep. The Nets struggled to communicate screens and didn’t do themselves any favors on the glass either, all of which added up to a 37-23 deficit after the first quarter…

“Our physicality was not good,” Fernández said of the start. “We gave them too much cushion. Our ball pressure was bad and then they did what they do best…they shoot the three very well. They have very good shooters and we were penalized for not starting on the right manner.”

Given what we’ve seen so far this year, it’s fair to call poor and unfocused defense off-brand for the Jordi Fernández-led Nets, and the team validated that mindset in the following frame, which Fernández went on to call his team’s ” best defensive quarter” after the game. Brooklyn’s defense tightened up to allow just three triples on nine attempts in the second period and force a handful of Charlotte miscues.

Cam Johnson was at the forefront of those efforts both literally and figuratively, pressing up during a series of defensive sequences that helped spark a 14-4 run down the stretch. Oh, and on the offensive end, he happened to go for 34 points tonight while going 6-12 from deep. It tied a career high for him in a Nets uniform.

It may have been capped off by a Ben Simmons post that you’re sure to see all over the House of Highlights this week considering who started the game, but it nonetheless helped the Nets enter the half with only five…

Ironically, the Nets were able to keep pace through two by doing one thing they’ve failed to do all season — force turnovers. At halftime, Charlotte was more efficient from the floor, owning a +11 rebound advantage. The Nets, with no other state left to dominate, forced Charlotte into 14 turnovers that led to 17 points.

But the Nets were able to get into their comfort zone early in the third — still forcing turnovers but also attacking in a more familiar format using the three-ball. The Nets took the lead for the first time after a 10-2 run to open the third, forcing two more Charlotte giveaways and spraying two triples in three attempts.

Along the perimeter at the other end, the Nets’ coordination of rotations and pursuit of the ball reached maximum contrast to what we saw from them in the first. The strong but controlled closeouts we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Brooklyn earlier this year also came back into the spotlight.

That was until they didn’t. A poor Ziaire Williams contest on a Tidjane Salaun triple who blew a whistle and three shots at the stripe made it a tied game with just under two to play in the third.

A gravity-defying Tre Mann dunk — over a statuesque Noah Clowney trying to take a charge instead of blocking a shot — soon after helped them go up by two heading into the fourth…

Both teams then came out swinging in the final round, with Charlotte making five of its first seven shots and Brooklyn going six-for-nine to open the fourth. That left things 100-100 with about seven to go. After two buckets from Ben Simmons and threes from Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges, Brooklyn sat with a one-point lead.

Charlotte looked moments away from taking it back before Trendon Watford, playing in his second game, made it clear he wasn’t going to give it up on both ends of the floor.

When Josh Green ran down the floor for a fast break and layup bucket all in one, Watford got up and denied his floater. Not long after, he scored seven straight points for the Nets to give them a five-point lead with 38 seconds left. Five of those were on two separate and-one games, only one came at the net price of one point due to some technical foul problems for both Watford and Charlotte head coach Charles Lee.

“He was very effective with his drives, his control,” Fernández said. “It’s really hard to switch on him because he wants to play the right way. His competitiveness. His personality is infectious. So very happy that he had the game he had … I think it’s a win for everyone: for the team, for Trendon and for medical performance. I think it’s a cool thing to see out there.”

A quick layup by Miller at the other end and a stop by the Hornets put the pressure back on Brooklyn, leaving them still three with the ball in Charlotte’s hands and five seconds to play. Miller’s final shot, a triple, was well contested by Finney-Smith and fell well short. Two were cleared by Grant Williams, but the Nets quickly inbounded the ball and ran off the milliseconds left.

Brooklyn may not have any grand illusions of competition for Larry O this season, but their Cup dreams live on.

Final: Brooklyn Nets 116, Charlotte Hornets 115

Milestone Watch

• Cam Johnson was the man of the night for Brooklyn, and his 34 points marked not just a season high, but a Nets career high. It also marks his fourth career 30-point game and his third for Brooklyn.
• Brooklyn finished with 30 assists on Tuesday night, their fourth game of the season and second in a row.
• The Nets turned Charlotte over 23 times, Brooklyn’s third game this season to force at least 20 turnovers. They only had two all of last season.
• Jalen Wilson’s five 3-pointers are a career high for the sophomore, and his 17 points mark a season high.

Soiling of three

Tuesday’s win marked the first time Brooklyn had a chance to put three points together in the dying seconds of the game. They chose not to, but don’t confuse that with an overarching philosophy for Fernández…

“We tried (to fail),” the head coach said before explaining his strategy.

“We give them rules, but then I would say to them, you do it if you’re comfortable doing it. I trust you. So if you feel like you can do it, do it, but if not , then we just stop. At the end of the day they have to play, I’m not out there. Many times when you try to fail, I’ve seen it so many times: You give a and -1 or you miss a 3-pointer shot or you foul before the ball comes in because guys are nervous. It’s like, ‘these are our rules, you do it, only you feel comfortable with the situation.’

“I think we tried, but then they were outside the 3-point line, we couldn’t miss it. And then when they were inside the 3-point line with almost zero on the clock, we were good.”

Damage report

As mentioned beforehand, Cam Thomas missed tonight’s game with what the team called back strain. Jordi Fernández described him as a “good” pre-match, but also said he needed to go through some court work with the same feeling to be able to play tonight. That obviously didn’t happen.

“Yes, he didn’t feel well,” Fernández said after the match. “And we told him we don’t want to risk anything. We want guys to be, not 100%, but 200%, and that’s why we have a team where everyone is ready, next man up mentality.”

The Brooklyn head coach added that while Thomas initially felt his back flare up in Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks, he doesn’t expect it to be too serious.

Also worth noting: Monday marked six weeks since the Nets announced Day’Ron Sharpe’s hamstring injury. Brooklyn said they would give an update on him at the end of that schedule (although originally eight weeks), so keep an eye out for something soon.

Next up

Bill Streicher-Imagn pictures

Brooklyn will head down the turnaround to face a Philadelphia 76ers team in danger of burning into the league’s next dumpster fire. Earlier this week, the Sixers held a team meeting after a loss in which Tyrese Maxey called out Joel Embiid for being late to meetings and other team events. The Sixers are currently 2-11 on the season.

Philly will first play the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday before welcoming the Nets in what will be an Emirates NBA Cup contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 19:00 on Friday evening.