Player grades: Cam Thomas scores 22 in Nets’ 131-87 loss to Bulls
The Brooklyn Nets visited United Center to take on the Chicago Bulls for the fourth and final time this season and lost 131-87. Chicago wins the regular-season series 3-1.
For the Nets, Cam Thomas had 22 points and two assists while Seth Curry had 19 points and three assists. Mikal Bridges had 13 points and Cameron Johnson had 10 points.
For the Bulls, Zach LaVine had 32 points and six rebounds while DeMar DeRozan had 17 points and four assists. Patrick Williams had 17 points and Nikola Vucevic had 13 points.
In the first half, the Nets had about as rough of a half that the NBA has seen this season by scoring only 29 points on 24.4% shooting from the field. It took Brooklyn almost four minutes to score its first basket: a lob from Spencer Dinwiddie to Nic Claxton. The Bulls finished the first half on a 35-11 run.
In the second half, it was more of the same for both teams. The Nets couldn’t buy a bucket and the Bulls couldn’t miss. For the game, Brooklyn shot 37% from the field while Chicago shot 56.8%. The Bulls out-rebounded the Nets 57-31 and they out-scored Brooklyn in the paint 62-22. Not much else can be said about how bad this loss was for the Nets.
Here are your Nets player grades:
Spencer Dinwiddie: D
Dinwiddie did not shoot the ball in this game at all. He wasn’t able to get anything going from any part of the floor. He was able to get to the free-throw line and get the ball to open teammates for easy scores, but that was about it for his offensive contributions. Defense for him, like the rest of teammates, was a mess in this one.
Mikal Bridges: D+
Bridges had a rough time shooting the ball in this one. He could not get much of a rhythm on the offensive end as the Bulls made sure to swarm him whenever he tried to score the ball. Bridges did a good job of rebounding the ball, but he turned the ball over too much and his defense was not up to par.
Cameron Johnson: D
Johnson had a tough time shooting the basketball in this contest. He could not get much going from the field or from three-point land. He did not do much else in this game which will be a common theme throughout these player grades for this game.
Dorian Finney-Smith: D
Finney-Smith did not shoot the ball well in this one. He had some good looks in this game, but wasn’t able to get anything to fall. He did a good job rebounding and his defense was below his usual standards as he struggled to defend without fouling.
Nic Claxton: C-
Claxton did a good job of scoring the basketball against the Bulls. He tried to go at Nikola Vucevic all night, but received inconsistent touches or was fouled when he did drive to the rim. Claxton did a little bit of everything in this one and his defense was solid. Unfortunately, it was that kind of night for the Nets.
Cam Thomas: D+
Thomas had a rough first half as he wasn’t able to get anything going from the field. However, he picked up his scoring in the second half even though Brooklyn wasn’t able to close the deficit at any point in this one. Thomas did a good job of getting to the free-throw line. Other than that, he did not provide much value anywhere else for the Nets.
Day'Ron Sharpe: D
Sharpe did not do much in this one. He did a good job rebounding and passing the ball, but wasn’t able to affect the game in any other facet. Sharpe’s defense was passable, but he had a hard time defending without fouling.
Royce O'Neale: D
O’Neale could not get anything going from the field in this exhibition. He could not buy a bucket from three-point land, but he was a good presence on the glass. He did a good job of passing the ball, but his defense was worse than expected, even in a blowout of this magnitude.
Joe Harris: D
Harris did not shoot the ball well in this game. As has been a popular refrain throughout this piece, he could not get anything going from any part of the court. He turned the ball over a bit too much in this one and his defense left a lot to be desired.
Seth Curry: C
Curry did a good job of scoring the ball in this one after not doing much of anything in the first half. He was able to get some shots to go from the mid-range as well as from behind the three-point land, especially in the second half. Curry did a decent job of finding his teammates, but other than that, he did not bring much else to the floor for Brooklyn.
