The Nets broke their three-game losing streak after beating the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. Unfortunately, the momentum could not be carried over into their next matchups, as they lost consecutive games to the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic, respectively. The Nets hold a record of 12-20, and this week’s losses dropped them to 12th place in the Eastern Conference Standings after staying at 11th place last week.
Nets Take One Over Milwaukee
The Brooklyn Nets took a 111 to 105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Brooklyn rallied back late thanks to great offensive performances by Cam Johnson, Noah Clowney, and Shake Milton. The Milwaukee Bucks were without star players Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo against the matchup against Brooklyn due to Antetokounmpo dealing with back spasms and Lillard having a non-COVID-related illness.
This gave the Nets the advantage for the evening and allowed them to take over late in the game for the win. The Nets were down by five points in the game’s final five minutes when they scored seven points consecutively without Milwaukee having an answer. The Nets kept their momentum in the final minutes and held on to their lead to take the win.
TEAM W pic.twitter.com/WNZ0OEn4Sa
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 27, 2024
Johnson and Clowney combined for 49 points for the evening, with Johnson scoring 29 and Clowney with 20. The rest of the starting lineup was in double-digits on the scoreboard, as Nicolas Claxton had 13 points and Keon Johnson had 12 points. Despite not being in double-digits, Ben Simmons gave good looks with his nine assists and eight points. Off the bench, Shake Milton had 20 points for the evening.
Khris Middleton was the Bucks’ leading scorer, with 21 points. Brook Lopez followed him with 20 points, and Bobby Portis scored 18 points. Gary Trent Jr. scored 14 points off the bench.
Nets Get Taken to Wembanyama Town
The Nets could not take down Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in a 96 to 87 defeat at home on Friday. The Nets were without Cam Johnson and Ben Simmons due to injuries and could not capitalize on the abysmal shooting from the Spurs in the first half (27.5% from the field). Without an offensive threat for the Nets, they had no answers in the second half of the game as San Antonio put up a better shooting performance and shot 21-of-37 from the field. Wembanyama dominated the third quarter when he carried a 22-9 Spurs scoring run and scored 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter.
Clowney deflection ➡️ Clowney triple pic.twitter.com/NsphgQ78Jg
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 28, 2024
Wembanyama was taken out in the third quarter due to an injury scare but still scored 19 points and shot 50% from the field. Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson also scored double-digits, with 19 points for Champagnie and 15 for Johnson.
Keon Johnson carried the offensive load for the Nets with 25 points, with Milton, Claxton, and Wilson following behind with 16 for Milton and 11 each for Claxton and Wilson. Tyrese Martin led the bench in scoring with 13 points.
Orlando Rallies for Clutch Win
The Orlando Magic came back in fourth-quarter dominance in a 102 to 101 win over the Nets on Sunday. The Brooklyn Nets had this game taken away from them in a failed effort to stop the fourth-quarter rally from the Magic. The Nets had led for the majority of the game, outscoring the Magic in the first half and leading 83 to 68 going into the fourth quarter. The 17-point rally was capped off by a clutch layup by Cole Anthony in the game’s final seconds to seal the win for Orlando. The rally was led by Tristan De Silva, who scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, making good shots from both the inside and the perimeter. His offensive performance gave the Magic some momentum which slowly cut down on the lead where Cole Anthony’s layup put the nail in the coffin for Orlando. Thomas tried to create a winnable situation with a corner shot attempt but could not get the clutch win for Brooklyn.
great to share CT buckets on the timeline again pic.twitter.com/dvcz5fJZpI
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 29, 2024
Thomas returned to Brooklyn after recovering from injury, scoring 25 points off the bench. Keon Johnson put up 14, while Noah Clowney had 13 points for the starters, and Jalen Wilson contributed off the bench as well with 16 points.
Tristan De Silva led the Magic with 21 points, Goga Bitadze had a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Wendell Carter Jr had 13 points. Off the bench, Caleb Houston had 12 points, and Anthony had 10.
What’s Next for The Nets
The Nets and Los Angeles Lakers made a trade amongst one another that moved D’Angelo Russell back to Brooklyn as well as Maxwell Lewis for Shake Milton, Dorian Finney-Smith, and a few draft picks. This move benefits both teams and provides a win-win situation for these two franchises. With Brooklyn in full rebuild mode, this gives them more opportunities to build through the draft and also bring in an offensive threat in D’Angelo Russell to play along with Ben Simmons, Cam Johnson, and Cam Thomas. Russell can bring in his offensive prowess to win Brooklyn some games throughout the season. While Russell isn’t going to be a needle mover, he is a great acquisition for the current Nets squad that needs an offensive threat but isn’t looking to win it all this year. For the Lakers, acquiring Finney-Smith gives them the defense they’re sorely lacking and Milton has an offensive presence that can help them either off the bench or be their starting guard. Overall, this big trade has upsides for both teams that can benefit them both currently and in the future.
Welcome back to Brooklyn, @Dloading! And welcome to the squad, @maxwelll2002! pic.twitter.com/TGykGwIob0
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 29, 2024
