Brooklyn sent Long Island Tosan Evbuomwan, Reece Beekman and Dariq Whitehead to Long Island, but it was Drew Timme who stole the day in a big win.
The Long Island Nets returned to the court on Friday night for the first time since the All-Star break, as they got set to face Mac McClung and the Osceola Magic. This new-look Long Island Nets team defeated the Magic, picking up a rare commanding victory, 137-114.
Since Killian Hayes was called up by the Brooklyn Nets and signed a standard contract, Long Island knew they’d have big shoes to fill. Thankfully, they had reinforcements take the Long Island Expressway east from Brooklyn as Dariq Whitehead, Tosan Evbuomwan returned, and for the first time, Reece Beekman took the court in a Long Island uniform.
But the night’s most impressive performance came from Drew Timme.
After notching his first triple-double a couple of games back before the break, he managed to do it again. The 6’10” three-time All-Ameican from Gonzaga finished the game with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. If that’s not impressive enough, he also had two blocks and a steal
Beekman picked up right where he left off in Santa Cruz before he was traded to Brooklyn in the Dennis Schroder deal back in December.
The 6’4” point guard led the team in points with 23. He also was tied for the team lead along with Timme with 11 assists. While filling Hayes’ shoes is no easy feat, Beekman played very well and may see action in Philadelphia with Brooklyn. Beekman also had two rebounds, one block, and a whopping five steals. It was his defensive potential that led the Nets to trade for him.
From one Brooklyn player to another, Tosan Evbuomwan made his Nassau Coliseum debut tonight in a big way. Evbuomwan was fourth on the team in scoring with 19 points to his name. He had an impressive shooting performance, hitting seven of his 13 attempts, including hitting three of his six from deep. Evbuomwan also picked up 10 rebounds, and three assists.
As for Whitehead, he connected on four of his 14 attempts, including hitting two out of his nine shots from deep. Certainly far from his best game in shooting, but he was still able to pick up 12 points.
Long Island’s Tyson Etienne had 22 points, while Trevon Scott came off the bench and picked up 20.
The 6’2” Etienne had another tight shooting game, hitting 8-of-11 overall and 6-of-9 from three. Like a couple of his teammates, Etienne is hopeful of landing a two-way job before March 4 which is the NBA deadline for signing players who split their time between the two leagues.
The first quarter was a battle between the two teams, as they tied it up five times. Long Island shot 50% in field goals and from deep to give them the four-point lead as the first came to an end. However, Osceola battled back in the second, as Long Island went into the half down, 65-64.
The third quarter saw Long Island outscore Osceola, 30-18. Long Island was able to pull away in the third as they took an 11-point lead into the fourth. In the fourth, Long Island outscored Osceola, 43-11, to put the final dagger in a great first game back from the All-Star break.
Osceola guard Mac McClung, fresh off his third Slam Dunk contest win, posted a game-high 25 points, one rebound, five assists and one steal in 32 minutes … and showed off his athleticism without dunking.
Mac McClung goes 360!
The #ATTSlamDunk champ still has some tricks up his sleeve as he has 14 points for the @OsceolaMagic on @tubi. pic.twitter.com/jJc9XCZ9wS
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) February 22, 2025
Magic forward Myron Gardner tallied 24 points, seven rebounds, one assist and two steals in 32 minutes.
Tosan Evbuomwan Wants A Playoff Push with the Long Island Nets
In Friday night’s game, Evbuomwan made his return to the Long Island Nets after playing a good portion of the season in Brooklyn.
“It was great,” Evbuomwan told NetsDaily about making his return to Long Island in front of the home crowd of 2,600. “It was a great win for the team. Wins are very important right now as we build and try to make the playoffs. Great stuff tonight.”
Making the G League post-season will be a challenge. With 15 games left, the 8-11 Nets are three and a half out of the playoffs.
Just this week, Tyrese Martin signed a standard contract with the Brooklyn Nets, opening up a two-way spot on the Nets roster.
Brooklyn Nets two-way player, Tosan Evbuomwan, on his return to Long Island, a potential contract offer, learning under Jordi Fernandez, his goals, and more.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/qfWXcweSij
— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) February 22, 2025
When Evbuomwan was asked if he had any expectations of getting standard deal like Tyrese Martin, he was non-committal.
“I just control what I can control,” says Evbuomwan. “Whether I’m here or up top with Brooklyn, I try my best to impact winning as well as I can. I’m here to win games and continue to get better. Whether it’s down here or up there, the goal is the same for me.”
Like so many of his teammates, Evbuomwan had some very nice things to say about Brooklyn head coach, Jordi Fernandez.
“Love Jordi, and I love everything about him and the coaching staff,” says Evbuomwan. “I’m just trying to continue the things I learn whether it’s up there or down here. I’m trying to be a leader down here. Continuing to learn, and continuing to grow, and just do things that are important to both here and up in Brooklyn.”
Simply put, Evbuomwan said his No. 1 goal is to continue getting better. He also hopes to “impact winning.” “Just to see personal growth,” said Evbuomwan about his goals. “Most importantly we want to make the playoffs, so just making the playoff push with this team, and up too, just win games and help win games.”
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (8-11) return to the court on Sunday afternoon for another showdown with the Osceola Magic. The game tips off at 3:00 p.m. EST and can be viewed on the NBA G-League and the Long Island Nets’ respective websites. It can also be viewed on the Gotham Sports App.