Player grades: Cam Johnson scores 15 as Nets lose to Rockets 112-101
The Brooklyn Nets visited Toyota Center on Wednesday to face the Houston Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back and lost 112-101.
For the Nets, Cam Johnson had 15 points and six rebounds while Mikal Bridges had 15 points and four rebounds. Royce O’Neale had 13 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 12 points.
For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun had 30 points and eight rebounds while Fred VanVleet had 21 points and 10 assists. Jalen Green had 14 points and Cam Whitmore had 11 points off the bench.
In the first half, it was a back-and-forth affair as neither team could separate from the other due to sizable contributions from players on both sides. Nic Claxton had 8 points and 10 rebounds while Royce O’Neale had 12 points, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals off the bench.
In the second half, the Rockets blew the game open in the third quarter as they started stringing together three-pointers and great defense while the Nets could not get out of their own way or make any shots. Brooklyn played Houston even for three quarters, but the third quarter is where this game was lost for the Nets.
Here are your Nets player grades following Wednesday’s loss:
Spencer Dinwiddie: C-
Dinwiddie did not have the most impactful shooting performance as he did not shoot much thanks to the Rockets essentially allowing Dorian Finney-Smith to shoot whatever shot he wanted to shoot. Dinwiddie has had a rough offensive season so far as he has been less efficient than what he has done of the past few seasons and that has been a big part of Brooklyn’s offensive struggles. He did a great job of passing the ball to his open teammates and having active hands to dig into the passing lanes or when one of the Rockets put the ball down on the floor.
Mikal Bridges: D
Bridges’ offensive ineptitude continued in this one as he couldn’t buy a bucket from anywhere on the court. Over the past few weeks, Bridges has looked uncomfortable on the offensive end of the floor as he doesn’t seem to have a strong command of what he wants to do with the ball in his hands whether that’s passing or shooting. He did a solid job on the defensive end of the floor as he used his length well against the Rockets.
Cam Johnson: B
Johnson did not have a good shooting performance in this one as he just couldn’t find the range from behind the three-point line. Granted, he did not shoot much in this one because of the way that the Rockets were defending the Nets’ offensive attack, but when he did shoot the ball, he was not very accurate with his shooting. To his credit, Johnson did a good job of passing the ball to his teammates when they were open.
Dorian Finney-Smith: D
Finney-Smith did not have a good shooting game in this one and to make matters worse, it was by design. Not necessarily by the Nets, but because the Rockets were putting Alperen Sengun on him, but Sengun allowed Finney-Smith to have any shot he wanted as long as it was a three-pointer. This also continues a trend of Finney-Smith not shooting the ball well recently. Finney-Smith is usually not in the position of having to shoot a lot, but he was in this game.
Nic Claxton: C+
Claxton had a solid offensive outing in this one as he was much more efficient around the basket and did a good job of attacking when he had a mismatch in the paint. It would have been nice to see Claxton attack Alperen Sengun more given that Sengun was able to rest on defense by guarding him since Brooklyn does not involve him much in the offense. Claxton did a good job of rebounding, but had only three rebounds after the first quarter so it’s clear that his energy waned down the stretch.
Royce O'Neale: C+
O’Neale had an okay shooting game in this one overall, but he was pretty ineffective from three-point range. O’Neale actually had one of his better games in terms of driving to the rim, but with his three-point not falling, it limits his scoring ability. Despite his long-range shooting struggles, O’Neale did a pretty good job of everything else on the floor as he was pretty good on the defensive end when he wasn’t defending Alperen Sengun.
Day'Ron Sharpe: B-
Sharpe had a solid outing in this one as he took advantage of the Rockets playing small with their bench unit as that allowed Sharpe to have constant mismatches in the paint when the ball came his way. He was pretty active around the rim and he did a good job of playing strong with the ball when he was near the rim. Sharpe had a great performance on the glass thanks to his physicality and activity in the paint which is something that he has improved on since last season.
Cam Thomas: D
Thomas has had a dreadful offensive performance in the past few games as he just doesn’t seem like the same player that he was in the beginning of this season. At this point, it seems like fielder’s choice in terms of what has led to Thomas playing this way, but it is possible that changes are coming before this season goes completely off the rails. Thomas did a good job of passing the ball, but he seems too passive as of right now and it looks like that is having a major effect on his performance.
Trendon Watford: C+
Watford had a solid outing in this one as he brought a change-of-pace when he entered this game as he often does. He did a good job of driving to the rim and made some nice moves around the basket when he was able to get penetration. Watford did a great job rebounding the basketball and he showed some good energy in that regard as that is something that the Nets could use from everyone right now.
