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Nets burn Blazers in Portland

End season-high five-game skid with resounding win

January 15, 2025 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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The Nets finally got healthy enough to snap their longest losing streak of the season Tuesday.

And they did it with their best offensive performance of the year.

Cam Johnson returned from an ankle injury and scored a team-high 24 points as Brooklyn ended a five-game slide with an impressive 132-114 triumph over the Trail Blazers in front of 16,127 fans at Portland’s Moda Center.

“I’m proud of the guys,” said Johnson. “We all can eat when we play the right way. I love it, 132 points is a lot of points.”

Still without high-scoring guard Cam Thomas and missing starting center Nic Claxton, both due to hamstring ailments, the Nets (14-26) did get back Johnson as well as point guard D’Angelo Russell, who had been down with a shin contusion.

The returnees paid instant dividends, as did versatile playmaker Ben Simmons, who was listed as questionable with ongoing back and knee issues before he decided to give it a go.

Johnson, who missed all five losses after helping Brooklyn beat Milwaukee with 26 points on Jan. 2, hit 10-of-18 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. He matched his career best with his third straight 20-plus point performance and has reached that figure in nine of his last 12 starts.

But Johnson was hardly alone in helping Brooklyn avert its first six-game slide since last March 13-23 by establishing new season bests with 54% shooting (49-of-90) and 29 fast break points.

“Maturity and composure. With these guys, they put everybody in the right place,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said of getting Johnson and Russell back in the rotation.

“Having them there just helps everyone. It helps me as a coach.”

Noah Clowney and Keon Johnson each had 20 points, Jalen Wilson chipped in 14, Russell and Ziaire Williams had 13 apiece and two-way signee Tosan Evbuomwan finished with 10 for the Nets, who put up their highest regulation scoring total of the campaign.

“That’s how you win games in the NBA,” Fernández gushed. “I’m proud of the guys. Not overreacting and sticking with what we do. It was a good win for our group. We needed that.”

Ziaire Williams and the Nets finally rose to the occasion in Portland Tuesday, putting together their best offensive performance of the campaign. AP Photo by Amanda Loman

Brooklyn never trailed, but was deadlocked at 27-27 before going on a 19-3 burst spanning the first and second quarters that gave it the lead for good.

Wilson began the decisive spurt by draining a 22-footer, Russell soon followed with a pair of 3-balls and Johnson nailed a 7-foot floater before Wilson capped the run on back-to-back buckets to make it 46-30 with 10:57 left in the second period.

Simmons only managed five points, but ripped down nine rebounds and handed out a game-high 11 assists, building on his strong all-around effort in Sunday’s heartbreaking 112-111 overtime loss in Utah.

Russell, acquired from Los Angeles last month in the deal that sent power forward Dorian Finney-Smith to the Lakers, only made 3-of-11 shots, but picked up four steals and dished out nine assists.

“Those two guys are very smart. They’ve played a lot of basketball,” Fernández said of the tandem. “When we move the ball, they make the right pass. Twenty assists with two guys.”

The Nets’ collective effort offset a dazzling performance by Portland’s Scoot Henderson, who put up a career-high 39 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including an eye-popping 8-of-10 effort from beyond the arc.

Toumani Camara had 23 points and Shaedon Sharpe added 21 for the Blazers (13-26), who lost their third straight.

After 10 days of shrugging off blowout losses and a narrow defeat to the Jazz, Fernández will finally get a few hours to relish a victory before the Nets move on to Los Angeles Wednesday to visit the Clippers.

“I think being a true competitor, you want to win every game,” he ceded. “Losing can bring you down a little bit, but learning from losses is most important.”

Tip-off at L.A.’s Intuit Dome is slated for 10:30 p.m.

Former Memphis Grizzlies assistant Sonia Raman will work alongside Liberty coach Sandy Brondello next season when New York defends its WNBA title. AP Photo by Brandon Dill

NOTHING BUT NET: The New York Liberty, the Nets’ world champion co-tenants at Barclays Center, made news earlier this week with an addition to their coaching staff. Sonia Raman will work alongside two-time WNBA title-winning coach Sandy Brondello as an assistant in 2025. Raman spent the past four seasons as an NBA assistant in Memphis, helping the Grizzlies reach the postseason all but once between 2020-24. She was also the winningest coach in the history of Massachusetts Institute of Technology during her 12-year tenure at MIT from 2008-20. “We are excited to welcome Sonia to New York as we prepare for our title defense in 2025,” said Brondello, fresh off guiding the Liberty to their first-ever WNBA crown. “Specializing in the offensive side of the ball, she brings a wealth of experience to our staff and aligns with our core principles of play as we continue to evolve.” … Fernández intimated prior to Tuesday’s win that Simmons would not play against the Clippers due to load management of his ongoing injury issues. “He’s not playing (Wednesday),” the rookie coach noted. “The most important thing is everyone’s body and how they feel. With Ben, we have a plan.” … The Nets will close out this six-game western swing by visiting the Lakers on Friday and Oklahoma City Sunday. Brooklyn climbed to 7-6 against Western Conference opponents by beating the Blazers. They are 7-20 against teams in their own conference.





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