The young guys Michael Malone feared made an exciting run, but Brooklyn’s hopes of notching an improbable win on the road were just hopes.
It was very kind of Denver Nuggets Head Coach Michael Malone to put the still-decimated-by-injury Brooklyn Nets in the same category as the two best teams in the Eastern Conference during his pregame comments on Friday…
Mike Malone: “This is scarier than playing Boston (or) Cleveland. They have players that’re getting a chance to play. When you’re a player thats not been in the #NBA you’re fighting for everything…If we think we can just show up & (win), we’ll lose.” #Nets #Nuggets
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) January 11, 2025
It was also proof that there is no limit to the depth than head coaches will plunge, searching for motivation to respect the Basketball Gods.
At 13-24, the Brooklyn Nets are not as scary as Boston or Cleveland, and wouldn’t be even if they had the eight players they were missing. (Down from ten, as Ben Simmons returned from back-related calf soreness, and Day’Ron Sharpe from an illness.)
But while Malone may have been shameless, he wasn’t totally wrong. Even the zombie Nets play hard, and can put up a respectable fight against any opponent. A few made jumpers scattered around, and they may even steal a win.
The Nets did not just make jumpers in the first quarter of Friday’s contest in Denver, the first of six away from him, but they attacked the rim too. The league’s current worst offense looked unstoppable, buoyed by some turnovers that led to fast-break points…
there’s no “right” coverage against Jokić, but fronting the post w/ back-line help may produce some turnovers. Worth a shot, like here: pic.twitter.com/oL6vROSCuA
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) January 11, 2025
Ben Simmons did not just drop dimes early in his return, but looked to attack the rim too. He posted eight points and four assists in the first quarter, which the Nets won 36-32.
Alas, Simmons would finish with just ten points and seven assists, which summed up Brooklyn’s efforts as a whole past the first quarter.
The visitors shot just 1-of-14 from three in the second quarter, allowing the Nuggets to grab a lead going into halftime, which ballooned into the twenties the third quarter. It didn’t matter that Denver lost Jamal Murray to an injury at halftime, they had their own jumbo passing hub making his return from a couple absences as well, and Nikola Jokić guided them to victory.
It took Denver a quarter to figure out Brooklyn’s post-fronting scheme, and then they organized their offense to eliminate any back-line help. Whether on switches or against Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe, Jokić simply posted up, waited for an entry pass, and laid it in.
“He is the game plan,” said Jordi Fernández pregame, evidently a game plan too tough to solve.
Jokić put up a ridiculous 35/12/15/4 against a woefully overmatched Nets team, while Russell Westbrook matched him with a 25/11/10 triple-double of his own. It was a clinic; Denver showcased talent and cohesion that Fernández, try as he might, had nary a prayer of matching.
“Both games they beat us, it was pretty much because of Russell Westbrook,” he said postgame.
His young guys fought though. A lineup featuring Tosan Evbuomwan, Reece Beekman, and Tyrese Martin, who scored 19 points, cut a 22-point lead all the way down to five, and those three showed enough flashes of talent to at least make the next game worth watching. At this point in Brooklyn’s 13-25 season, that almost counts for a win…
Tyrese Martin has real athleticism as a driver. Not as easy as he makes it look to hang in the air and kick this ball out: pic.twitter.com/DBKyuflPnM
— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) January 11, 2025
Said Fernández: “I think that group that made the run, they did a good job. They bought into doing the right things, played extremely hard defensively, tried to run. They were open, they were shooting it, and that’s how you make runs.”
Alas, Denver subbed Nikola Jokić back into the game (old friend DeAndre Jordan lost his minutes by 14 points, a main culprit of Brooklyn’s second-half run), and Brooklyn’s fun was over.
Nic Claxton and Ziaire Williams each scored ten points, but neither made enough plays to combat Denver’s late push. Nor did Simmons and Noah Clowney, who scored all 14 of his points in the first half.
“The one thing that I understand for our guys is: You’re sitting on the bench, your teammates are doing very well. Like, you know you’re gonna have to go in, refocus, be there, fight for every possession. It didn’t work well when we brought the other guys off the bench.”
Perhaps Malone should’ve been a bit more excited to see Brooklyn on the schedule. This was as basic of a home win for the Nuggets as could be. Their big-name players produced a ton of highlights, their young guys got in on the action and found matchups they could hound, and the under-manned Nets made one strong push, one that deserves praise, but one that doesn’t inspire fear.
They just don’t have the guys. One day — hopefully before an increasingly hostile climate ends the NBA — the Brooklyn Nets will.
Final Score: Denver Nuggets 124, Brooklyn Nets 105
Injury Report
The only update for any of the eight absent Nets on Friday night was a bad one.
Trendon Watford missed the first 13 games of this season with a left hamstring injury, then played in the next 13, but injured that left hamstring again. As a result, he’s now missed the last dozen games, and that streak will only grow longer, as Jordi Fernández said he is “unlikely” to play on the rest of Brooklyn’s road trip.
Assistant Coach Juwan Howard also missed Friday’s action with an illness, which Day’Ron Sharpe also had earlier this week. Assistant Coach Dutch Gaitley replaced Howard on the front of the bench.
Nets Film Focus with Cam Thomas
Earlier on Friday afternoon, we published an episode of Nets Film Focus on Brooklyn’s YouTube channel. And if you miss watching Cam Thomas play basketball, it’s the episode for you. Linked below, CT and I talk about his ability to draw fouls, shoot threes off the catch, read the floor, and much more.
It may be a more entertaining watch than any of Brooklyn’s last four games, all losses…
Next Up
Two huge road games await the Brooklyn Nets, as it pertains to their odds in the NBA Draft Lottery this spring. First up is the Utah Jazz, with tip-off on Sunday evening set for 8:00 p.m. ET.