Player grades: Cam Thomas scores 37 as Nets beat Rockets 106-104
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Houston Rockets at Barclays Center on Saturday and won 106-104.
For the Nets, Cam Thomas had 37 points and three assists while Mikal Bridges had 19 points and three steals. Dorian Finney-Smith had 19 points and Nic Claxton had 10 points.
For the Rockets, Jalen Green had 19 points and 10 rebounds while Dillon Brooks had 19 points and five rebounds. Cam Whitmore had 19 points off the bench and Alperen Sengun had 15 points.
In the first half, the Nets began this game with an utter domination on both ends of the floor as Brooklyn played arguably its best quarter of the season against a formidable opponent. In the second quarter, the Rockets were able to play the period to a standstill with the Nets thanks to the efforts of Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet to pick up the scoring load.
In the second half, this game flipped on its head as Houston found a way to continue its competitiveness that they started in the second quarter. The fourth quarter is where the Rockets took this game from a blowout to a game where everyone in Barclays Center had to wondering whether the Nets were going to blow a 28-point lead to lose narrowly at home. Thankfully, time saved Brooklyn in this one.
Here are your Nets player grades following Saturday’s win:
Spencer Dinwiddie: C-
Dinwiddie had a quiet game on the offensive end as he did not shoot too many shots and wasn’t able to get much going from the field. He has ebbed and flowed between being aggressive and being passive and this was one of the games where he decided to be passive due to the way that players like Cam Thomas, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Mikal Bridges were scoring. To his credit, Dinwiddie did a good job of passing the ball and he played some solid defense on players like Dillon Brooks.
Cam Thomas: A
Thomas was sensational in this game with the way that he was able to score the basketball in the mid-range, at the basket, and on the perimeter. While Thomas being great at scoring is not a new thing, the way that he was able to get to his spots in this one were something to behold. It seems that Thomas has embraced the ability that he has to drive to the rim and is now forcing the issue, usually resulting in baskets, fouls, or both. He had his defensive skills tested in this one, but he mostly stepped up to the challenge outside of some instances of a size mismatch.
Mikal Bridges: B-
Bridges did a good job of scoring the ball in this one as he was effective whether he was taking the ball to the hoop or shooting from the perimeter. One thing that was great to see from Bridges was the confidence that he showed while taking his shots as it seems that he has moved past the part of this season where he didn’t look so confident. In addition to his scoring, Bridges did a good job on the defensive end as he used his length and quickness to get into the passing lane for steals.
Dorian Finney-Smith: A+
Finney-Smith had one of his best offensive games of the season in this one as he took full advantage of being guarded by Alperen Sengun on most possessions. While Finney-Smith has not shot the three-ball well in quite some time, he shot the three with incredible efficiency in this one to allow Brooklyn’s offense to continue rolling. Opposing teams are trying to help on players like Cam Thomas and Mikal Bridges and as a result, Finney-Smith will see a lot of open looks so it was good to see him hitting those looks in this contest. Unfortunately, Finney-Smith injured his ankle in the third quarter after blocking Cam Whitmore’s shot.
Nic Claxton: B+
Claxton did a great job of scoring in this one as he took the limited opportunities that he had to go at Alperen Sengun to great results. He did a great job of being under control whenever he made his move to the rim and he showed his customary touch around the rim with his hook shots. He also did a great job of rebounding the basketball and he did a great job of defending at the rim and when he switched onto a perimeter player.
Royce O'Neale: C
O’Neale played a solid game in this one as he had one of his better three-point shooting games of the season in terms of efficiency. He did not shoot many shots, but O’Neale was making most of his shots and that’s as much as you can ask from him with his game primarily being shooting threes. O’Neale also did a good job of rebounding the basketball, especially given how much the Rockets were crashing the glass.
Dennis Smith Jr.: C+
Smith had a decent game in this one as he did not shoot too much in this one, but he was effective when he made his mind up to drive to the basket. While Smith is one of the team’s weaker shooters, he did not let that be a deterrent for him in this one as he made sure to take the shots that he wanted to take. Smith also did a good job of passing the ball and hitting his teammates with good passes when they were open.
Lonnie Walker IV: D
Walker had another rough game as he just couldn’t find his shooting touch after having some good games following his return from his hamstring injury. It doesn’t look to be anything physical going on with him, but he’s just missing shots that he normally makes. He will eventually find his touch, but this was not his game.
