If you had the Nets knocking off the Denver Nuggets on your nightly bingo card, then you were not too far off. However, Brooklyn came up just short on Tuesday at Barclays Center, losing 144-139 and falling to 1-3 in its first four games under first-year head coach Jordi Fernandez.
While defense has been a prominent part of the Nets’ identity early this season, offense is what carried them in their win over Denver. It all started with an explosive opening quarter led by Dennis Schröder, who picked up right where he left off in Sunday’s defeat of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The veteran guard had already poured in 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting (3-of-4 from deep) in his first seven minutes on the court. The Nuggets had no answer for the German off the dribble, and his early offensive success proved to be contagious. The Nets went 16-of-23 from the field in a 40-point first quarter. That equates to 69.6%. They made seven 3-pointers as a team, committed zero turnovers, and found themselves up by 13 points after the first 12 minutes of action and led Fernandez’s old team 72-63 at halftime.
The Nuggets were playing in the second game of a back-to-back set, and early on their legs looked tired and heavy. Brooklyn may be susceptible to the same issue in Wednesday’s road game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The most impressive aspect of the Nets’ first-half success? They did on an off night for Cam Thomas. Schröder, who may be playing the best basketball of his career depending on who you ask, contributed 17 points and seven assists in the first half, marking the first time he has hit those point and assist totals in a single half in his career. He finished the night with a team-high 28 points and has now scored at least 20 points and dished out at least five assists in each of his last three appearances, his longest streak in that regard since his days with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ziaire Williams, continuing to showcase his massive improvements as an outside shooter, went 3-of-4 from 3-point range in the first half, and Cam Johnson, the Nets’ designated sniper, went 5-of-5 from behind the arc. It was just the 11th time in team history that a player made five or more treys without a miss.
Brooklyn had 20 assists to just one turnover in the first half, its best assist-to-turnover ratio in any half since 2021. The Nuggets matched that effort. It was a clean opening half for both teams and turnovers remained low throughout.
However, the Nets cooled off a bit to start the second half and Denver took advantage. After trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Nuggets scored the first five points of the third quarter to cut their deficit to four, and just like that, the game was no longer a one-sided affair. Michael Malone’s team captured their first lead since the game’s opening minutes, 101-99, with 11:14 left in the fourth quarter.
However, Thomas, who finished with 26 points, shook off a poor offensive start and came alive when it mattered most. He scored two straight buckets in clutch time to give the Nets a 124-121 lead with 33.8 seconds left. Brooklyn got a big stop on Denver’s next possession, but veteran Dorian Finney-Smith split a pair of free throws when Brooklyn got the ball back. Nikola Jokić sunk a five-foot hook shot to tie the game at 125 moments later. Finney-Smith then missed a go-ahead 3-pointer as regulation expired, sending the game to overtime.
Ten of Thomas’ points came in the final frame, but overtime was a different story for the young scoring guard. He went 1-of-5 from the field in the extra period and the Nets shot 5-of-12 as a team. The Nuggets outscored them 19-14 over the final five minutes to steal their second road win of the season.
The Nets did a great job limiting Jokić early, but the reigning MVP would not be denied in the end, finishing with 29 points, 18 rebounds and 16 assists. His longtime running mates, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon, both scored 24 points. Johnson knocked down six of Brooklyn’s 20 3-pointers in the loss.
After Wednesday’s matchup in Memphis, the Nets will face the Chicago Bulls on Friday and the Detroit Pistons on Sunday. Both games will be played at home.
