3 Takeaways from Brooklyn Nets Gritty Win over Sacramento Kings

Is there any Nets win that can’t be described as gritty?

To be a Brooklyn Net, going through a memorable experience vs the Sacramento Kings seems like a requirement today.

Whether it’s being part of the team’s largest comeback in franchise history or a game that saw an assumed franchise player turn into a saboteur, the Nets vs Kings experience has had no shortage of standout moments in the past few years — and certainly more than most East vs West matchups bargain for.

Odd as that may be, Jordi Fernández had his unofficial “Net” moment last night. This time though, the drama happened before the game, or rather, around it. Sunday night’s contest marked Fernández’s first going-up (is that a word?) against his former team, with the rookie head coach serving as lead assistant under Mike Brown in Sactown for two years before coming to Brooklyn.

While Fernández’s former colleagues raved about him from the moment he made his departure back in April right up until tipoff last night, that positivity and supportiveness on Sacramento’s side eventually boiled into frustration and letdown.

Fernández, of course, was the one turning up the burner, and leading the Nets to a 108-103 road victory. The game also involved a strong bounce back performance for Cam Thomas, a standout shooting display for Noah Clowney, and a dash of history for Cam Johnson. Here’s what we learned.

CJ is Playing the Best Ball of His Career

Cam Johnson’s 16/4/6 game yesterday was quieter than what we saw from him earlier in the week, but nonetheless allowed him to continue what’s clearly been the best stretch of his career. Going for 22, then 34, and then 37 against the Knicks, Hornets, and 76ers, Johnson came into last night’s contest fresh off his highest scoring triad of games yet.

His 16 points last night were a less intriguing fragment of the box score, but the scoring has only been a part of what’s made this stretch so impressive for Johnson. His efficiency has been equally, if not more notable.

In the aforementioned three-game stretch, Johnson has been hitting greens left and right, posting 60/59/100 splits. He even became the sixth player in NBA history to enjoy a three-game stretch with 90+ points, a 3-point percentage above 60.0% and 19+ made triples (Steph Curry, Manu Ginobli, Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving, and Mike Miller).

Johnson kept up with that clip for the most part last night, going 3-of-6 from deep and 5-of=11 overall. He started the game going 2-of-2 from deep, pulling a few from near Jimmer Fredette-range, to name another legendary South Pacific shooter.

For the season, Johnson’s now averaging 19.1 points and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 42.6% from deep, 49.5% from the field and even 90.6%. All of those figures represent career highs for him. He’s creating his own shot more than ever and further illustrating his ability to score at all three levels as well.

I’m hesitant to say Johnson’s stock has never been higher. With him now carrying a $20+ million cap hit for the next three years, he might’ve been a juicer asset during his days as a sniper on a rookie deal out in Phoenix with all things considered. However, the narrative that his stock as a Net has never been higher, is true as steal.

I’m not going to make this a column about whether or not the Nets should trade all their veterans. We do that exercise on Twitter every hour of every day. But if they do intend to sell CJ, it’s hard to think of a better time than now.

Shake Milton has a role

With Ziaire Williams playing some standout two-way ball, Keon Johnson providing a spark off the bench, and Trendon Watford returning to essentially win the Nets a game down the stretch vs Charlotte, Shake Milton has been the odd man out so far in terms of Brooklyn’s reclamation projects.

Coming into last night, 28-year-old journeyman was averaging just 3.5 points and the fewest minutes per game of any player on the team not on a two-way contract. But last night, Shake’s game was vanilla-sweet, as he went for 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, and a steal while shooting 4-6 from the field and 2-4 from deep.

Most notably, Milton was also part of Brooklyn’s closing lineup that also featured Wilson, Thomas, Johnson, and Claxton, which locked in to force a 3-of-15 shooting performance from the Kings in the final six minutes of the game — essentially sealing the win for Brooklyn.

Dennis Schröder being out undoubtedly factored into this decision to rock with Milton late, as did the spacing concerns that would have arisen should Fernández have put Simmons in at the point with Claxton also on the floor. But the fact of the matter is, the Nets still trusted him late. He didn’t let them down either. That should bode well for his place on the team in the future — injuries or otherwise.

Cam Thomas is One Tough Dude

The bayou bucket battled back last night in more ways than one.

The last time we saw Cam Thomas, it was a rather difficult watch. The four-year guard scored 18 points on Friday vs Philly to go with seven assists — but also turned it over seven times and shot only 40% from the field. Thomas also revealed postgame that he had been feeling sick going into that game to go with his lower back strain.

But as the Nets flipped time zones, Thomas did the same with his game. CT came through last night with one of his best performances so far this year, tallying a game-high 34 points while shooting 11-of-22 from the field, 4-of-10 from deep, and 8-of-11 from the stripe. He also dished six assists and turned it over just once.

By all accounts, the Cam Thomas Nets fans have grown to appreciate had returned — but that was only the half of it. A few minutes after that alley-oop to Ben Simmons, Thomas took a tough fall, landing right on his sore back after a drive to the rim.

Thomas stayed down for some time, forcing a stoppage of play. But after a scary half-minute of watching and waiting, he got up and trotted off the court. By rule, Keon Johnson had to come in for him since Brooklyn never called a timeout after the stoppage, but Thomas was back in the game at the next dead ball.

A few minutes later, he hit a step-back triple that made it a one-point game. A Ben Simmons put-back jam put the Nets ahead, but then it was Thomas, scoring four straight points, that would put the Nets up five — a lead they’d carry for all but a few brief moments until reaching the finish line.

Thomas has never given us any reason to question his competitive nature, but he paired that willingness to win yesterday with grit, fighting back after a scary scene and an unnerving game vs Philly. He’s equally a bucket and a dog.