© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
What we learned from the Nets' crushing OT loss to the San Antonio Spurs
The Brooklyn Nets were motivated ahead of this game due to their loss in the first leg of the back-to-back to Indiana. They looked energized and motivated for the whole game, but it was not enough to conquer Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Wemby was the biggest star, posting an absurd stat line of 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and seven blocks. Cameron Thomas did his best to carry Brooklyn, but his 31 points were not enough to keep up with Wembanyama and a well-rounded performance from the rest of the Spurs roster.
This game was monumental for the Nets, meaning this loss led to plenty of valuable takeaways.
Cam Johnson is a liability in the clutch
Cameron Johnson had a decent game, scoring 12 points off the bench. He has embraced his role as a sixth man under Coach Kevin Ollie, but he’s a liability in clutch situations like when they were down three with 21 seconds remaining in overtime.
It was a rough situation as Coach Ollie chose to bench Cam Thomas. Having your go-to guy was risky, and it did not pay off for KO, as Johnson missed the potential game-tying three that could’ve sent the game into another extra period. The miss made Cam Johnson 3/18 from three in clutch situations, good for only 16.7%.
Cam Thomas deserves to have the system built around him
Thomas was superb in this game, as he was both scoring and assisting his teammates. That’s why it was surprising he was on the bench in the final play because the former LSU Tiger has proven himself to be the undisputed go-to guy.
Trusting him in clutch situations would give Thomas more confidence to step up. Coach Ollie acknowledged that after the game, which should be a good sign for the remaining 14 games this season.
“That's definitely something that we'll look at going down the stretch again. Would have loved to have CT in there. I'll take that one,” KO said after the game.
The postseason is almost impossible to reach now
With this loss and the Atlanta Hawks’ win on Sunday, the Nets are now 4.5 games behind the tenth seed. That is near-insurmountable for Coach Ollie, as they only have 14 games remaining with some fantastic teams on the schedule.
Games against the Bucks, Pacers, Pelicans, and more will hurt the Nets’ slim chances of making it far in the Play-In Tournament race. However, the Nets should still do their best and compete to the best of their ability.
