Cam Thomas scores 33, Nets use big 1st quarter to beat Hornets 133-121 for 1st win
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Cam Thomas scored 33 points, and the Brooklyn Nets built a 21-point, first-quarter lead and held on to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 133-121 on Monday night for their first win of the season.
Mikal Bridges had 24 points and Lonnie Walker IV and Dorian Finney-Smith each added 19 for the Nets, who shot 56.3% from the field.
Terry Rozier had 23 points and rookie Brandon Miller added a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds for the Hornets. Miller, the No. 2 pick in the draft, is averaging 17.3 points in his first three games with the Hornets.
The Nets played without Cam Johnson (calf strain) and Nic Claxton (ankle sprain), forcing them to go to a small lineup, but that didn't stop them from dominating the Hornets early.
The Hornets' 1-on-1 defense was routinely exposed, as they were unable to defend drives by Thomas, Bridges, Finney-Smith and Walker. LaMelo Ball struggled to cover his man and spent most of the game and fouled out in the fourth quarter.
“I think it was just our spacing,” Thomas said. “We played a lot of small ball and a lot of five-out. That opened up a lot of driving lanes for us. The bigs were pulled out and it gave the guards a lot of driving lanes.”
Thomas has now scored at least 30 points in each of his first three games for the Nets.
He said he's getting comfortable now in his third NBA season, and coach Jacque Vaughn is liking what he's seeing from the forward.
“We know he has ability to score the basketball, but it has not been forced,” Vaughn said. “It's been within the flow of the offense. And then at certain times when we need a bucket and he is capable of doing that also. So he is learning how to survey the game and when we need him to score and when he needs to facilitate.”
The Hornets surrendered 28 fast-breaks points, which Hornets coach Steve Clifford attributed to poor shot selection.
“We took some quick 3s without putting any pressure on the defense, and they got it and were gone,” Clifford said. "It was definitely the defense, but a lot of that I think was our shot selection early on.”
Brooklyn came out of the gates fast, hitting its first eight shots. The Nets led 42-23 after the first quarter after shooting 62.1% from the floor and dominating the glass against the taller Hornets.
Miller is the only reason the Hornets remained in the game in the first half. The rookie had 16 points before the break and pinned a shot against the backboard on defense, bringing the home crowd to its feet.
Ball struggled the entire game.
The only former All-Star on the Hornets roster, Ball finished with eight points on 3-of-12 shooting, missing all six shots from beyond the arc as the Hornets lost their second straight game.
Clifford attributed Ball's slow start to the season to missing most of the summer while recovering from a broken ankle. He said he is still behind other players, but is confident he will catch up.
The Nets lost guard Spencer Dinwiddle to a sprained ankle in the first half. He played only 13 minutes and scored five points before exiting the game for good. Vaughn said he will be reevaluated on Tuesday.
Before the game Vaughn said that Johnson will miss at least 10 days with strained left calf he injured in Game 2.
“I had hope (he would be back) but reality set in a little bit," Vaughn said. “We ended up getting an MRI, so we are just waiting on those results after the contusion just to be safe. We will reevaluate him in 10 days and see what he looks like from there."
UP NEXT
Nets: Continue a four-game trip at Miami on Wednesday night
Hornets: Play their first road game of the season at Houston on Wednesday night.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Ben Simmons vs. Mark Williams (LaMelo Ball gains possession) | |||
11:45 | P.J. Washington misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
11:42 | Spencer Dinwiddie defensive rebound | |||
11:37 | +2 | Ben Simmons makes two point running finger roll layup | 2-0 | |
11:25 | LaMelo Ball misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
11:22 | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | |||
11:20 | +2 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes two point running layup (Ben Simmons assists) | 4-0 | |
11:03 | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point layup | 4-2 | |
10:43 | P.J. Washington personal foul (Ben Simmons draws the foul) | |||
10:34 | +2 | Cam Thomas makes two point driving layup | 6-2 | |
10:24 | Cam Thomas personal foul (Gordon Hayward draws the foul) | |||
10:17 | Gordon Hayward misses two point jump shot | |||
10:14 | Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound | |||
10:08 | +3 | Dorian Finney-Smith makes three point running jump shot (Ben Simmons assists) | 9-2 | |
10:07 | Hornets 60 second timeout | |||
9:59 | Gordon Hayward misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
9:57 | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | |||
9:51 | +3 | Spencer Dinwiddie makes three point running pullup jump shot (Ben Simmons assists) | 12-2 | |
9:40 | LaMelo Ball misses three point jump shot | |||
9:38 | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | |||
9:34 | +3 | Dorian Finney-Smith makes three point jump shot (Spencer Dinwiddie assists) | 15-2 | |
9:22 | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point dunk (P.J. Washington assists) | 15-4 | |
9:11 | +2 | Cam Thomas makes two point driving floating jump shot | 17-4 | |
9:03 | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point dunk (Gordon Hayward assists) | 17-6 | |
8:43 | +2 | Mikal Bridges makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 19-6 | |
8:30 | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point alley-oop dunk (Terry Rozier assists) | 19-8 | |
8:18 | Spencer Dinwiddie misses three point jump shot | |||
8:16 | Mark Williams defensive rebound | |||
8:11 | LaMelo Ball turnover (traveling) | |||
8:01 | Cam Thomas turnover (lost ball) (LaMelo Ball steals) | |||
7:47 | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving finger roll layup | |||
7:45 | Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound | |||
7:39 | +2 | Mikal Bridges makes two point cutting dunk (Spencer Dinwiddie assists) | 21-8 | |
7:19 | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point pullup jump shot | 21-10 | |
7:09 | Dorian Finney-Smith misses three point jump shot | |||
7:06 | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | |||
7:02 | LaMelo Ball misses three point running pullup jump shot | |||
7:02 | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | |||
6:39 | Gordon Hayward blocks Cam Thomas's two point driving layup | |||
6:37 | LaMelo Ball defensive rebound | |||
6:37 | Spencer Dinwiddie shooting foul (Mark Williams draws the foul) | |||
6:37 | +1 | Mark Williams makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 21-11 | |
6:37 | +1 | Mark Williams makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-12 | |
6:29 | +2 | Mikal Bridges makes two point pullup jump shot | 23-12 | |
6:14 | +2 | LaMelo Ball makes two point driving finger roll layup (Terry Rozier assists) | 23-14 | |
6:00 | Mikal Bridges misses three point jump shot | |||
5:57 | Mark Williams defensive rebound | |||
5:45 | LaMelo Ball misses three point fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:42 | Mikal Bridges defensive rebound | |||
5:37 | Lonnie Walker IV misses three point running jump shot | |||
5:33 | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | |||
5:20 | +2 | P.J. Washington makes two point driving layup (LaMelo Ball assists) | 23-16 | |
4:58 | +2 | Cam Thomas makes two point pullup jump shot | 25-16 | |
4:40 | Gordon Hayward misses two point hook shot | |||
4:37 | Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound | |||
4:32 | +2 | Ben Simmons makes two point running dunk (Mikal Bridges assists) | 27-16 | |
4:10 | Terry Rozier misses two point driving layup | |||
4:08 | Mikal Bridges defensive rebound | |||
4:03 | Cam Thomas misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
4:01 | Dorian Finney-Smith offensive rebound | |||
3:57 | Lonnie Walker IV misses three point jump shot | |||
3:55 | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | |||
3:49 | Lonnie Walker IV personal foul (LaMelo Ball draws the foul) | |||
3:35 | Theo Maledon misses three point jump shot | |||
3:33 | Royce O'Neale defensive rebound | |||
3:24 | Lonnie Walker IV misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
3:21 | Nick Richards defensive rebound | |||
3:16 | Day'Ron Sharpe personal foul (Theo Maledon draws the foul) | |||
3:09 | Brandon Miller misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
3:02 | Dennis Smith Jr. defensive rebound | |||
3:00 | +2 | Day'Ron Sharpe makes two point alley-oop dunk (Dennis Smith Jr. assists) | 29-16 | |
2:38 | JT Thor misses three point jump shot | |||
2:33 | Day'Ron Sharpe defensive rebound | |||
2:28 | Nets 60 second timeout | |||
2:22 | Spencer Dinwiddie misses three point jump shot | |||
2:20 | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | |||
2:02 | Terry Rozier misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
1:58 | Lonnie Walker IV defensive rebound | |||
1:46 | Lonnie Walker IV misses two point driving layup | |||
1:46 | Day'Ron Sharpe offensive rebound | |||
1:46 | +2 | Day'Ron Sharpe makes two point putback layup | 31-16 | |
1:46 | Nick Richards shooting foul (Day'Ron Sharpe draws the foul) | |||
1:46 | Day'Ron Sharpe misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
1:43 | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | |||
1:33 | Dennis Smith Jr. shooting foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | |||
1:33 | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-17 | |
1:33 | +1 | Brandon Miller makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-18 | |
1:15 | +3 | Lonnie Walker IV makes three point jump shot (Day'Ron Sharpe assists) | 34-18 | |
1:03 | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving layup | |||
1:00 | Day'Ron Sharpe defensive rebound | |||
0:53 | Day'Ron Sharpe misses two point layup | |||
0:52 | Day'Ron Sharpe offensive rebound | |||
0:52 | +2 | Day'Ron Sharpe makes two point putback layup | 36-18 | |
0:38 | Nick Richards turnover (3-second violation) | |||
0:32 | +3 | Royce O'Neale makes three point jump shot (Dorian Finney-Smith assists) | 39-18 | |
0:15 | +3 | Brandon Miller makes three point jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 39-21 | |
0:04 | Mikal Bridges turnover (bad pass) (Theo Maledon steals) | |||
0:04 | +2 | JT Thor makes two point driving layup (Theo Maledon assists) | 39-23 | |
0:00 | +3 | Mikal Bridges makes three point jump shot | 42-23 | |
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:38 | Spencer Dinwiddie misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
11:36 | LaMelo Ball defensive rebound | |||
11:34 | LaMelo Ball offensive foul (Lonnie Walker IV draws the foul) | |||
11:34 | LaMelo Ball turnover (offensive foul) | |||
11:12 | Spencer Dinwiddie turnover (bad pass) (Nick Richards steals) | |||
11:05 | Spencer Dinwiddie shooting foul (Theo Maledon draws the foul) | |||
11:05 | +1 | Theo Maledon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 42-24 | |
11:05 | +1 | Theo Maledon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-25 | |
10:58 | Nets 60 second timeout | |||
10:52 | LaMelo Ball shooting foul (Day'Ron Sharpe draws the foul) | |||
10:52 | Day'Ron Sharpe misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
10:52 | Nets offensive rebound | |||
10:52 | +1 | Day'Ron Sharpe makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 43-25 | |
10:37 | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving layup | |||
10:34 | Day'Ron Sharpe defensive rebound | |||
10:24 | Dennis Smith Jr. misses two point driving layup | |||
10:22 | Nick Richards defensive rebound | |||
10:18 | Day'Ron Sharpe blocks Theo Maledon's two point driving layup | |||
10:18 | Hornets offensive rebound | |||
10:18 | Dennis Smith Jr. personal foul (Loose ball) (Nick Richards draws the foul) | |||
10:08 | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point turnaround jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 43-27 | |
9:52 | +3 | Lonnie Walker IV makes three point jump shot (Spencer Dinwiddie assists) | 46-27 | |
9:37 | +3 | P.J. Washington makes three point jump shot (LaMelo Ball assists) | 46-30 | |
9:28 | Day'Ron Sharpe offensive foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | |||
9:28 | Day'Ron Sharpe turnover (offensive foul) | |||
9:13 | Theo Maledon misses three point jump shot | |||
9:11 | Dennis Smith Jr. defensive rebound | |||
8:59 | +2 | Dennis Smith Jr. makes two point pullup jump shot | 48-30 | |
8:41 | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point driving bank jump shot (Nick Richards assists) | 48-32 | |
8:18 | Spencer Dinwiddie misses two point driving layup | |||
8:18 | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | |||
8:18 | Day'Ron Sharpe personal foul (P.J. Washington draws the foul) | |||
8:08 | Dorian Finney-Smith blocks Terry Rozier's two point driving layup | |||
8:05 | Ben Simmons defensive rebound | |||
8:01 | +3 | Royce O'Neale makes three point running jump shot (Ben Simmons assists) | 51-32 | |
7:40 | Brandon Miller misses two point driving layup | |||
7:40 | Brandon Miller offensive rebound | |||
7:40 | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point tip layup | 51-34 | |
7:28 | Nick Richards shooting foul (Dorian Finney-Smith draws the foul) | |||
7:28 | Dorian Finney-Smith misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
7:28 | Nets offensive rebound | |||
7:28 | +1 | Dorian Finney-Smith makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 52-34 | |
7:07 | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point driving finger roll layup (Terry Rozier assists) | 52-36 | |
6:59 | Mikal Bridges turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
6:51 | Brandon Miller misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
6:46 | Mikal Bridges defensive rebound | |||
6:38 | Mikal Bridges turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
6:30 | Terry Rozier misses two point driving layup | |||
6:28 | Dorian Finney-Smith defensive rebound | |||
6:13 | Brandon Miller shooting foul (Cam Thomas draws the foul) | |||
6:13 | Cam Thomas misses regular free throw 1 of 2 |