Jordi Fernandez and two of his assistants return to Sacramento where they helped return the Kings to prominence under Mike Brown
As predicted and dare I say expected, Jared McCain continued his Rookie of the Year campaign on the Nets and killed them. And not only did he kill them, but his backcourt mete Tyrese Maxey erupted as well. And not only did Tyrese Maxey erupt, but the duo showed their own organization (and the league) that this backcourt could be special for years to come. The talented young core combined for 56 points and hit eight straight shots late to lead Philly past Brooklyn 113-98. At one point late, cameras caught an exuberant McCain yelling “I’m Rookie of the Year!” No lies told.
On the Nets side, there wasn’t too much positivity, well, other than Cam Johnson’s unconscious 37 points. It seemed as if half court was just the beginning of his limitless range. CT struggled in the first half, the Nets let several runs get out of hand during important parts of the game, and Ben Simmons was missing wide open layups. Ugh. As someone who preaches effort, it is safe to say coach Jordi Fernandez was not pleased.
Speaking of Coach Fernandez, he will be seeing some very familiar faces as tonight the Nets head out west to take on the Sacramento Kings, who have a star who is capable of erupting himself.
Where to Watch
Catch the action at 9:00 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass.
Injury Report
Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot injury recovery), Day’Ron Sharpe (left hamstring strain), Jacky Cui (G-League), Jaylen Martin (G-League), and Dariq Whitehead (G-League) will all be out. Dorian Finney-Smith is questionable with a left ankle sprain while Ziaire Williams is probable with a right foot infection. Cam Thomas admitted he played under the weather in Philly.
For the Kings, Malik Monk will be out due to ankle problems, as well as Mason Jones with a right hamstring strain and two-way Isiah Crawford, left ankle sprain.
Also, it’s a back-to-back so things could change closer to game time.
The Game
Despite experiencing some bad losses to the Hawks and the Clippers, the Kings (8-8) are a team that is going to put up points against you. Averaging 115 per game, the scoring is spread out between three of the Kings’ stars in De’Aaron Fox, Demar Derozan, and Domantas Sabonis.
The three all-stars will have some luck going up against Brooklyn. The Nets are not particularly good in first games of back-to-backs, losing seven out of eight.
For Jordi Fernandez, it’s a big homecoming. He was associate head coach of the Kings from two years. Moreover, he has known and worked with Mike Brown, the Kings head coach, going back to 2009 when Brown hired Fernandez to work with his son, Elijah. Impressed, Brown hired him first as a player development coach in Cleveland, then as an assistant with the Nigerian national team and finally as his No. 2 when he moved to Sacramento.
Fernandez also brought two of Brown’s assistants with him from the Kings to the Nets: Dutch Gaitley and Deividas Dulkys. Both have played big roles. (And no, Jordi never lit the beam in Sacramento.)
Player to Watch: De’Aaron Fox
It’s safe to say De’Aaron Fox has been going off this year. About a week ago, he scored 109 points in the span of two games. Averaging 28 ppg for the season (and 41.5 over the last four!), Fox has a nifty way of always being able to get to that left hand no matter the predicament a defense puts him in. A freakish athlete, Fox has always been a blur in the open court, which adds to how scary naturally talented players can be once they learn the half court game.
It’s unclear to tell who will have the assignment for Fox, so whoever gets it will need to be able to move their feet and force tough twos out of Fox in order to win the battle. Fellow backcourt mate and Kentucky teammate Malik Monk will be out, so the defender will have chances to take breaks once Fox gets tired. Just defend, contest, live with the results, and fight every possession. It will all be good.
From the Vault
A few years back, the journey from Sacramento to New York was the topic of an award winning movie, “Lady Bird,” in which a teenager from Sacramento yearns to travel cross the country to New York — “a city with culture” — where she can make her own mark. She’s told her dream is impossible, but this being Hollywood, she ultimately winds up in the big city and after a number of trials succeeds.
Jordi Fernandez as Saoirse Ronan??
More reading: Kings Herald, SB Nation.
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Sacramento Kings Game Notes – Sacramento Kings
- De’Aaron Fox, Cameron Johnson carry hot hand into Kings-Nets clash – Larry Fleisher – NBA
- Nets were hoping Ben Simmons would push offense, but he hasn’t – Brian Lewis – New York Post
- Nets head on brutal West Coast trip after getting ‘wake-up call’ they didn’t want – Brian Lewis – New York Post
- Nets’ Jordi Fernandez shares special relationship with Kings’ Mike Brown ($) – Evan Barnes – Newsday
- Nets’ West Coast swing will further reveal what they’re made of ($) – C.J. Holmes – New York Daily News