© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Brooklyn loses in an overtime heartbreaker to the San Antonio Spurs
Heading into this game, the Brooklyn Nets were coming off a blowout loss to the Pacers the previous night. Brooklyn followed the game with a lackluster performance against the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
Cameron Thomas shone again with 31 points on 52% shooting from the field. Dennis Schroder was his primary running mate, scoring 19 points and dishing out seven assists. Rookie Victor Wembanyama stood out for the Spurs, posting a stat line of 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and seven blocks.
“They stayed stronger and longer tonight. We just didn’t make the plays to win the game. Their fight, how they played, especially after the first half when we had nine turnovers, and we gave up seven offensive rebounds, and clean that up,” Coach Ollie said to the media after the loss. “Them taking the challenge on that at halftime, I respect them for doing that. We fight like that, we’ll win our share with 14 to go.”
The Nets did not have an answer for Wemby
Victor was the best player on the floor, dominating offense and defense. Even Brooklyn’s elite defender, Nic Claxton, struggled against Wembanyama. The Frenchman is one of the toughest players to defend in the NBA, proving that he’s the future superstar for the Spurs.
Claxton had a solid performance with 11 points and 14 rebounds, but it was not enough to keep up with the Rookie of the Year favorite. He not only had a good performance throughout the game but also stepped up in the clutch when he blocked Schroder’s layup, which could’ve put the Nets in a three-point lead with 25 seconds left.
Brooklyn could not respond to the 2023 #1 overall pick as Mikal Bridges struggled again with only 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the field. This loss confirms the Nets’ 2023/24 season as the first campaign with a record less than .500 since 2019/20.
The Nets postseason hopes continue to get worse
With this loss to San Antonio, Brooklyn has continued to slide down the Eastern Conference standings. The game was the Nets’ third-straight loss, worsening Coach Kevin Ollie’s team’s chances of making it into the postseason.
The Nets will now rest for a day, and they’re back hosting the New Orleans Pelicans at home at the Barclays Center. It will be another challenging game for Brooklyn, considering Zion Williamson and the rest of the Pels are the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
