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Brooklyn Nets drop potential upset of season, lose to Oklahoma City Thunder 129-121

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NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Brooklyn Nets
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

It’s not in the nature of a true competitor to be in awe of a moral victory, but Brooklyn’s tonight was among the best you’ll see all season

With only a handful of wins this year, despite some tank commanders seeing it as a bushel, the Brooklyn Nets faced arguably the most intimidating opponent their season has left to offer this evening.

It wasn’t just a David vs Goliath matchup, but one where the former even had his stones and sling taken away. Pitted against the aura-loaded, West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder, Brooklyn had to trot out there without Nic Claxton, serving a one-game suspension, and D’Angelo Russell, who missed another one due to his ankle sprain. Not to mention Cam Thomas who may be back soon but not tonight. The fact that OKC also stuck Brooklyn with a 25+ point loss roughly a month ago didn’t help their odds either.

But in a year where the word “fight” has echoed around the Barclays Center like a mantra, Brooklyn put up their best, and while they couldn’t deliver the same inspiring ending as that age old tale, every chapter outside of that final one was as motivational as anything we’ve seen in the Barclays Center all year.

Jetting out to a 30-12 lead after the first seven minute of play, the Nets got in front so fast that their fans didn’t even have a chance to conceptualize the upset possibly unfolding before them. In that stretch, Brooklyn shot a blistering 6-of-10 from three, getting nine points from Day’Ron Sharpe who started tonight for the first time this season.

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The Nets also found success blitzing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the pick-and-roll. At times, SGA got Isaiah Hartenstein the ball in the post, but at others got it to Brooklyn defenders. Gilgeous-Alexander coughed it up three times in the opening period. On the opposite end, Brooklyn was as crisp as they come, dishing their most assists in a period this season with 13 on 15 made baskets. They’d go on to finish the game with 31 dimes, tied for their fifth most in a contest all year.

As many of their early leads do, the question for Brooklyn and their fans became, “how long will it last.” It looked like we’d have our answer early when the Thunder opened up the second on a 21-12 run, making it a 50-52 game.

But the Thunder, and all their NYC-based fans, eager to watch and cheer on their team in the only chance they’d have this year to see them at a decent price, would need to wait longer.

With their lead on life support, Ziaire Williams and Day’Ron Sharpe gave it a shot of adrenaline. Thanks to Sharpe mining extra chance points and Williams unloading a clip of 3-pointers, the pair helped Brooklyn close the second quarter on a 24-11 run.

“If I had a dollar for every time they say shoot a damn three, I’d be a freaking millionaire,” Ziaire Williams said postgame after helping the Nets hoist up a franchise record 61 triples. “Coach just wants us to shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot again…When we broke down the huddle right before the game started, he said if we don’t get up 45 then he’s benching the whole team, or whoever plays in the game, he’s benching us. So at least we won’t be benched next game.”

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So with Day’Day and ZDub in the cab, the Nets bulldozed over the Thunder and all the pro-tank fans into halftime with a 76-61 lead. In the shadow of the league’s top ranked defense, they put up their most points in a half all year.

It was a banner night for guys with the last name Sharpe. One gave us what might be the dunk of the season. The other gave us a career-best scoring night, as Day’Ron dropped 25 points, dished five dimes, grabbed 15 rebounds, and swatted three shots while going 8-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep.

“I’m very happy with him,” Fernández said. “Proud of the game that he had. He was amazing and I’m sure that even though we didn’t win the game, everybody’s happy for him because he’s worked hard, and now he saw this opportunity, and he took advantage of it.”

He joined Victor Wembanyama as the only players this season to tally 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, multiple steals, multiple blocks, and multiple 3-pointers made in a game.

“I’m just a beast on them boards,” Sharpe said. “I don’t really think nobody can mess with me in the paint when it comes to that. Like tell y’all every time, no matter how big, no matter how tall, it’s just what I do. You know what I’m saying? You’re gonna have to send three people to box me out. But I just play hard.”

“Yeah, for sure. Day’Ron’s a beast,” Williams agreed. “He’s a double-double machine. He works real hard, man. Weight room, court. He’s just a great guy to be around. A great locker room guy. Always making guys laugh and smile. So definitely proud of him. This is just the start.”

Posting 55/50 splits also at the break, Brooklyn’s offense, off in a galaxy far, far away by that point, was long overdue for a fall back to Earth. That reentry took place in the third, where the Nets shot just 5-of-19 from the field and 4-of-15 from deep, allowing OKC to put the pressure back on Brooklyn.

Although that poor shooting indeed allowed the Thunder to cut into the lead, the Nets rallied the other way, pulling down four offensive rebounds leading to 10 second chance points in the period. That allowed them to stay afloat by six points despite their crash into the ocean.

In the fourth, they finally sank. But even there in that period, it still took longer than you’d expect for Oklahoma City to jump in front.

Once more attacking the offensive glass, Brooklyn managed to keep its lead alive for almost the entire quarter’s first half. Brooklyn grabbed eight more offensive rebounds in the fourth, leading to seven more second chance points. It wasn’t until Keon Johnson got caught late biting on a Jalen Williams floater at the 7:38 mark of the game that the lead dipped in OKC’s favor.

That changing of the guards seemed to snap everyone back into reality. After a pair of steals turned buckets in the backcourt from Cason Wallace and some transition takes from Williams, there was a double-digit lead for the visitors now on the scoreboard. The guys on the court remembered who they were and how this one was supposed to go.

While Brooklyn’s efforts to preserve their lead remain worthy of applause, it vanished just as suddenly as it arrived in the first. Goliath won, though it wasn’t easy.

Final: Oklahoma City Thunder 129, Brooklyn Nets 121

Injury Updates

Jordi Fernández doesn’t often give us much beyond what the Net injury report does — but he did give us some news tonight pertaining to Brooklyn’s top bucket-getter.

“CT is day to day, so you guys will see him soon. I cannot say the exact day, but he’s done a great job,” the coach said pregame. “Like we talked about, he’s played five-on-five and looks good. Obviously getting readjusted to a real game, it doesn’t happen right away, but excited to have him back at some point soon.”

Fernández also said that D’Angelo Russell and Noah Clowney are “doing great” that they’d “probably talk about having them on the court some point next week.” He wasn’t able to provide an update on Dariq Whitehead, who sustained a leg injury out on Long Island yesterday, stating that they’re still evaluating him.

Milestone Watch

  • Day’Ron Sharpe’s career-highs tonight included points (25) and free throws made (7). He tied career highs in threes made (2) and assists (5). His 15 rebounds were a season high.
  • Nets as a team made a season high 22 threes tonight. Killian Hayes made a career-high-tying five threes. Keon Johnson made a career-high-tying four threes.
  • Cam Johnson dished out a career-high seven assists.
  • Sharpe joined Derrick Coleman (2/17/94 at Boston) as the only Nets with 25+ points, 15+ rebounds, multiple steals, multiple blocks and multiple 3-pointers made in a game in team history
  • Tonight’s game was the fourth time in franchise history that all five starters have made multiple 3-pointers (11/26/23 vs. CHI: Dinwiddie, Bridges, C.Johnson, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, 11/4/23 vs. BOS: Dinwiddie, Thomas, Bridges, O’Neale, Finney-Smith, 4/30/21 vs. POR: Irving, Shamet, J.Harris, J.Green, Griffin)

Next Up

NBA: Brooklyn Nets at Portland Trail Blazers
Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Brooklyn will play host to another visitor from out west on Friday evening when the Portland Trail Blazers come to town. The Nets sewed up Rip City last time out by 132-114 score to split what could have been a 13-game losing streak in January.

Like Brooklyn, Portland’s stolen some wins of late, partially at the expense of their own rebuild. Since January 19th, they came into tonight tied with the Thunder for the fifth most wins in the association.