Nets' Star Records Career First Against Bulls

On Thursday night, the Brooklyn Nets faced off against the Chicago Bulls in what shaped up to be a pivotal match for the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference, with five games separating the two sides going into the match.

The Bulls would pull out ahead of the Nets by the end of the first quarter, thanks in part to Coby White and Patrick Williams finding success from the field, combining for 16 points. But this wouldn't be enough to hold Brooklyn back, as Cam Thomas turned on the jets, scoring 12 points in the second quarter alone, which would be enough to put his side on top at halftime, 65-62.

It wouldn't be Thomas' work from the field that would hurt the Bulls in the first half, as he made sure to show his eye for playmaking, recording eight assists in the opening two quarters.

This lethal offensive production would slow down in the closing two quarters of the match, as the former LSU star struggled to be a consistent shooter, only managing to convert on 28 percent of his shots in the second half.

This would be a contributing factor in the Nets' 110-116 loss to the Bulls, as White and Julian Phillips would prove to be the difference makers in the match. Despite his struggles from the field in the second half, Thomas would manage to seek out two more assists to his tally, ending the match with ten of them.

Pairing this with his 24 points would see the 23-year-old record his first career double-double, coming after 215 games in the NBA.

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the role in which Thomas has played in Brooklyn's offensive scheme over the past four seasons, being seen more as a pure scorer, rather than a playmaker.

This is reflected in his stats, as the 23-year-old has struggled to average over three assists per game throughout his tenure with the Nets, which is in stark comparison to the number of field goal attempts he attempts.

When Thomas first came into the league, he only managed over eight shots per game, which has been more than doubled, as this year will be the second year in which he is attempting 18 shots in each outing.

This isn't to say that the 23-year-old hasn't shown his playmaking abilities in the past, as it can be argued that he's started to show it off more as of late, which could be chalked up to the return of D'Angelo Russell in Brooklyn.

Prior to Russell's return, Thomas was averaging three assists per game, a number that has increased to five since he's become a Net, sharing the court with Thomas on five separate occasions this season.

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