The Brooklyn Nets upset the Phoenix Suns behind Tyrese Martin’s career night, 127-117

“I’m a net for life,” Kevin Durant said yesterday. “I will always say it. Always feel it. It will be in my heart, my blood, forever.”

Well, coming in tonight, it seemed like they could have definitely used him. Or anyone, for that matter. The body count was high.

KD vs his old team was hardly the story ahead of game no. 19 for the Nets. Nor would it feel like more than a footnote after that. Instead, it was Brooklyn’s book report-sized injury list that got everyone talking. Not only did it include the usuals like Day’Ron Sharpe and Bojan Bogdanović, but also newcomers like Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton, Cam Thomas and Jalen Wilson. As a result, Brooklyn entered tonight’s contest with just nine active players.

After coming back to beat the Golden State Warriors two nights ago with only seven guys available in the fourth quarter, it was almost as if Brooklyn wanted to see how long they could teeter along the rim without falling short of winning without a full team.

Pretty long, it turns out, as the Nets Houdini-ed it again tonight, beating the Suns to close out their road trip by a double-digit margin.

The game began with the Nets giving Kevin Durant something he probably would have preferred to see two years ago: an aggressive Ben Simmons. Ben10 hit five of the team’s first 13 shots and played aggressively on both ends of the floor. He even went straight to his old teammate for an inside finish before briefly staring him down.

“I think he set the tone with his first error,” Fernández said of Simmons after the game. “It was an iso game for KD and he was physical and he pushed him. I think that set the tone for everyone else. The numbers are very good, but his physicality defensively I was very impressed and that helped everyone else.”

As much fun as it was to see Simmons show glimpses of his former self and for two-way guard Tyrese Martin to hit enough triples to warrant an early heat check shot, Phoenix’s offensive firepower canceled it all out on the scoreboard early. More on Martin later.

Touted for their improved offensive fluidity under Mike Budenholzer this year, the Suns looked to start tonight, shooting 12-16 from the field in the first quarter to generate a quick lead. Trendon Watford may have had the last laugh in the frame, but Phoenix still led 37-34 after one.

It didn’t take long for Dennis Schröder to get another play when play resumed, taking a charge on a running KD. Schröder and Durant appeared to have some small talk earlier in the game and well through it, which should surprise absolutely no one.

“That’s who he is,” said Fernández of Schröder. “He’s extremely tough and he wants to let everybody know that we’re here. That he’s here and we’re not coming back. That’s pretty much it. That’s how you play basketball.”

Simmons returned to the floor soon after in the second, bringing with him the long-desired offensive aggression along with the flashy passing we’re more used to seeing. He went on to finish the game with 14 points, eight assists and nine rebounds while shooting 7-8 from the field.

“We just wanted to push the ball, push our pace,” Watford said after the game. “I think Ben started it. Started the game just attacking and getting the ball off the rim…He was aggressive and it starts with him.”

But what is the one thing better than the best performance of the season? A career best. Tyrese Martin one-upped Simmons in that regard tonight, finishing with a career-high 30 points while shooting 10-13 from the field and 8-10 from three. Entering tonight, he had just 33 career points. I wouldn’t be shocked to find out he stole Steph Curry’s powers Space Jam style after Monday. Putting the ball in the basket looked as easy to him as putting a stone in the sea.

The Allentown, PA product sprayed two of those triples in the second to help the Nets take a three-point lead about four minutes into the break. A pair of back-and-forth buckets and free throws allowed each team to trot into halftime tied 63-63.

However, it was up to Simmons to open the third, who generated five of the team’s first seven markers to open the frame, putting the Nets back in the lead. His play, paired with some extra hustle on the defensive end to spur transition opportunities, helped the Nets go on a 17-3 run to begin the second half.

“I think we kept playing our game,” Fernández said of the third quarter. “We kept making stops, I think in the third we defended flawlessly, I think, and we kept running, we kept shooting. Again, it’s not easy because when they first have the size and when they switch one to five it just stops your body movement and ball movement I think the guys did a good job of finding a way.

Brooklyn finished the game with 17 forced turnovers, leading to 24 points. Seven of those for nine points came in the third. That’s not even counting the extra one they got after an enraged Coach Bud brought in a technician after Tyus Jones was whistled for a moving screen.

“Our energy, I think it was just through the roof,” Watford said. – When we knew they were on a back to back, we just wanted to come, have our energy up and press the ball. Just be who we are.”

Through it all, though, Phoenix’s talent felt like an elephant in the room that just hadn’t made its presence known yet. It started flapping around down the stretch of the third. Durant put up eight straight points in the final 3:49 of the third to help the Suns stay afloat.

But Slim Reaper was a double-edged sword, or I guess scythe, in the last hundredth of a second in the third. When he crashed into Martin on a three-point attempt, he gave the Nets three extra free throws to close out the frame. Martin missed one, but still had the Nets up 96-84 in the fourth.

There, it was Bradley Beal’s turn to remind everyone that he was there. Brad made a handful of buckets to keep the Suns within striking distance as Durant took a breather. It was a 10-point game with 9:40 left after his eighth make of the night.

But the Nets, specifically Martin, just kept hitting shots. The term “speechless” is often overused, but that’s literally how Martin left Sarah Kustok after hitting her seventh triple of the night, putting Brooklyn up 111-93 with 8:13 left.

“Unbelievable,” Fernández said of Martin’s performance. “We’ve been on him being ready to shoot, cutting to open the paint, and he’s just been great. Those 17 points in the first half were very, very impressive. At some point, you might think, now he’s going to get it going, but then he found a way to run in transition and find threes in the open lane. Very happy for him…He deserves it every day did what was best for the team”

“That’s my dog,” Watford added. “I’m so happy to see him go crazy…The first shot went in and I knew, man, he’s a hell of a shooter. We see it behind the scenes. It doesn’t surprise any of us, but I’m just happy to see him get his opportunity and go crazy.”

From that point forward, Brooklyn essentially began implementing a “run the ball to run the clock” strategy. They didn’t have Brandon Jacobs or Breece Hall, but they did have Dennis Schröder, who was a calm and collected floor general who slowly marched the Nets up the floor each time to set one up just before their 24 seconds expired.

The Suns did everything they could, rushing down quick shots as time ticked away, but Brooklyn did enough of their own to stiff-arm Phoenix all the way to the end.

Had to squeeze in some football references on Thanksgiving Eve.

Final: Brooklyn Nets 127, Phoenix Suns 117

Damage report

When the Nets ruled Clowney and Thomas out today, they also provided timelines for each. Brooklyn called CT’s injury a left hamstring strain, mentioned he underwent an MRI and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. Clowney, who walked around in a boot and crutches at shootaround this morning, was tagged with a left ankle sprain and will be reevaluated in two weeks.

Brooklyn referred to Claxton as “day-to-day” with “dealing with a lower back injury.” This was his second straight game missed after playing against both Philly and Sacramento. Jalen Wilson was overdue for the in-depth injury report, but the Nets held him out tonight with what they called right calf tightness.

The Nets also provided an update on two-way wing Jaylen Martin, who was taken off on a stretcher after a game in Long Island on Sunday. Brooklyn called his injury a right knee contusion and said he would be reevaluated in 1-2 weeks. That’s some good news, all things considered.

To give you some more, the Nets also gave an update on Day’Ron Sharpe, noting that he has resumed full activity on the court and is expected to return to the lineup sometime next week. Sharpe has not played yet this year after suffering a hamstring strain in training camp.

Milestone Watch

• The Nets had their fifth game tonight with 30+ assists this season. Cam Johnson had a career-high-tying six.
• With eight threes, Tyrese Martin tied for second most off the bench in team history (Patty Mills 11/14/21 at OKC)
• Tyrese Martin’s 24 points are tied for the most scoring game for a Net on a two-way contract (Jeremiah Martin – 8/11/20 at Orlando in the Bubble).
• When the Nets outscored the Suns 33-21 in the third quarter, it was Brooklyn’s second-best third quarter for point differential this season (+14 on 9/11 at Cleveland).

Next up

Mike Watters-Imagn Photos

Brooklyn returns home to host the Orlando Magic in their final NBA Cup group stage game. Currently in third place in their group and with a difference of -16 points, the odds are against the Nets advancing to the knockout round.

The Magic also defeated the Nets once already this year without much opposition, winning by a 116-101 score. Brooklyn has come a long way in terms of his competitiveness since that contest, even though it was just over a month ago. Nevertheless, expect tough sledding again with the Nets also going to be shorthanded for that game.