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The Brooklyn Nets closed out California Classic play with their most complete performance yet, cruising past the Golden State Warriors Blue team 100-79 on Monday night to finish 2-1 before heading to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League.
Monday also marked the long-awaited professional debut of Mikel Brown Jr., who missed Brooklyn's first two California Classic games. The first-round pick immediately flashed the playmaking ability that made him one of the most intriguing guards in this year's draft, helping fuel the Nets' best offensive performance of the weekend.
With Brown Jr. making his debut alongside Ben Saraf, Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Tyler Bilodeau, and Chaney Johnson, Brooklyn continued showing improvement on both ends of the floor while taking better care of the basketball after its turnover issues in the tournament opener.
The game was closely contested throughout the opening quarter.
Brown Jr. didn't need long to make his presence felt, knocking down a wide-open three off a steal created by Demin for the first basket of his professional career. Bilodeau connected on a pair of early three-pointers, Johnson continued to provide energy around the rim, and Demin buried a late three to keep Brooklyn within striking distance.
Golden State took advantage of several early Nets mistakes, forcing six first-quarter turnovers that led to easy transition opportunities. Cameron Tyson knocked down a pair of threes, RJ Nembhard created offense on both ends of the floor, and the Warriors carried a 28-24 lead into the second quarter.
Brooklyn completely took control in the second.
Trailing 38-28 midway through the quarter, the Nets responded with a dominant 28-8 run to close the half and seize all the momentum.
Brown Jr. started the run with a three-pointer before Johnson scored inside, Bilodeau tied the game with another triple, and Demin gave Brooklyn its first lead of the quarter after finishing at the rim. Saraf then took over late in the half, knocking down a three before converting a tough layup through traffic to extend Brooklyn's advantage.
The Nets moved the ball exceptionally well throughout the run, consistently creating open looks with crisp passing. Brown Jr. repeatedly found teammates, Saraf controlled the offense, and Brooklyn finished the half with 15 assists on 21 made field goals.
Johnson capped off the half with another finish inside before Demin knocked down a jumper, giving Brooklyn a 56-46 lead at the break after outscoring Golden State 32-18 in the second quarter.
Johnson led the Nets with 15 first-half points, Bilodeau added 12, Demin scored 10, and Saraf contributed five points, three rebounds and five assists.
Golden State tried to chip away after halftime.
Nembhard continued attacking the paint while Tyson knocked down another three to trim the deficit. Every time the Warriors threatened, though, Brooklyn had an answer.
Demin stayed aggressive offensively, converting at the rim before confidently knocking down a three-pointer. Brown Jr. added a strong transition finish and later converted another difficult drive through contact, while Saraf scored inside to help the Nets maintain a 71-62 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Any hopes of a Warriors comeback disappeared early in the final period.
Aaron Scott knocked down a wide-open three before finishing a fast-break layup to push Brooklyn's lead to 16. Saraf followed with a three-pointer and a tough finish in the paint during a 9-0 Nets run that stretched the advantage to 20.
Bilodeau stayed hot from beyond the arc, knocking down his fifth and sixth three-pointers of the night, while Demin put an exclamation point on the victory with a steal and windmill dunk in transition as Brooklyn reached the 100-point mark.
Demin once again led Brooklyn with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals while shooting 7-for-12 from the field. Johnson continued his impressive California Classic with 19 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting, while Bilodeau added 18 points and connected on six three-pointers.
Saraf finished with 15 points and seven assists, while Brown Jr. impressed in his debut with 10 points and four assists in 19 minutes.
Although Brown Jr.'s scoring was encouraging, his passing may have been the biggest takeaway from the night. Time after time, he delivered pinpoint passes that created quality scoring opportunities, giving Nets fans an early glimpse of the court vision and creativity that made him one of the top playmakers in this year's draft.
For Golden State, Nembhard and Tyson each scored 14 points, while Nick Boyd and Wade Taylor finished with 13 apiece.
One player still searching for his offensive rhythm is Powell. After going scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting against Sacramento, the second-year wing finished 1-for-8 from the field Monday. His defensive versatility continues to stand out, but if his shot begins to fall, he'll become an even bigger factor for Brooklyn moving forward.
Another positive for the Nets was their continued improvement in taking care of the basketball. After committing 20 turnovers in the opener and 16 against Milwaukee, Brooklyn cut that number to 14 against Golden State while recording 22 assists, another encouraging sign as the team prepares for the main Summer League in Las Vegas.
The Nets will head to Las Vegas on Tuesday before opening NBA Summer League action against the New York Knicks on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
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Monday also marked the long-awaited professional debut of Mikel Brown Jr., who missed Brooklyn's first two California Classic games. The first-round pick immediately flashed the playmaking ability that made him one of the most intriguing guards in this year's draft, helping fuel the Nets' best offensive performance of the weekend.
With Brown Jr. making his debut alongside Ben Saraf, Egor Demin, Drake Powell, Tyler Bilodeau, and Chaney Johnson, Brooklyn continued showing improvement on both ends of the floor while taking better care of the basketball after its turnover issues in the tournament opener.
The game was closely contested throughout the opening quarter.
Brown Jr. didn't need long to make his presence felt, knocking down a wide-open three off a steal created by Demin for the first basket of his professional career. Bilodeau connected on a pair of early three-pointers, Johnson continued to provide energy around the rim, and Demin buried a late three to keep Brooklyn within striking distance.
Golden State took advantage of several early Nets mistakes, forcing six first-quarter turnovers that led to easy transition opportunities. Cameron Tyson knocked down a pair of threes, RJ Nembhard created offense on both ends of the floor, and the Warriors carried a 28-24 lead into the second quarter.
Brooklyn completely took control in the second.
Trailing 38-28 midway through the quarter, the Nets responded with a dominant 28-8 run to close the half and seize all the momentum.
Brown Jr. started the run with a three-pointer before Johnson scored inside, Bilodeau tied the game with another triple, and Demin gave Brooklyn its first lead of the quarter after finishing at the rim. Saraf then took over late in the half, knocking down a three before converting a tough layup through traffic to extend Brooklyn's advantage.
The Nets moved the ball exceptionally well throughout the run, consistently creating open looks with crisp passing. Brown Jr. repeatedly found teammates, Saraf controlled the offense, and Brooklyn finished the half with 15 assists on 21 made field goals.
Johnson capped off the half with another finish inside before Demin knocked down a jumper, giving Brooklyn a 56-46 lead at the break after outscoring Golden State 32-18 in the second quarter.
Johnson led the Nets with 15 first-half points, Bilodeau added 12, Demin scored 10, and Saraf contributed five points, three rebounds and five assists.
Golden State tried to chip away after halftime.
Nembhard continued attacking the paint while Tyson knocked down another three to trim the deficit. Every time the Warriors threatened, though, Brooklyn had an answer.
Demin stayed aggressive offensively, converting at the rim before confidently knocking down a three-pointer. Brown Jr. added a strong transition finish and later converted another difficult drive through contact, while Saraf scored inside to help the Nets maintain a 71-62 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Any hopes of a Warriors comeback disappeared early in the final period.
Aaron Scott knocked down a wide-open three before finishing a fast-break layup to push Brooklyn's lead to 16. Saraf followed with a three-pointer and a tough finish in the paint during a 9-0 Nets run that stretched the advantage to 20.
Bilodeau stayed hot from beyond the arc, knocking down his fifth and sixth three-pointers of the night, while Demin put an exclamation point on the victory with a steal and windmill dunk in transition as Brooklyn reached the 100-point mark.
Demin once again led Brooklyn with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals while shooting 7-for-12 from the field. Johnson continued his impressive California Classic with 19 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting, while Bilodeau added 18 points and connected on six three-pointers.
Saraf finished with 15 points and seven assists, while Brown Jr. impressed in his debut with 10 points and four assists in 19 minutes.
Although Brown Jr.'s scoring was encouraging, his passing may have been the biggest takeaway from the night. Time after time, he delivered pinpoint passes that created quality scoring opportunities, giving Nets fans an early glimpse of the court vision and creativity that made him one of the top playmakers in this year's draft.
For Golden State, Nembhard and Tyson each scored 14 points, while Nick Boyd and Wade Taylor finished with 13 apiece.
One player still searching for his offensive rhythm is Powell. After going scoreless on 0-for-9 shooting against Sacramento, the second-year wing finished 1-for-8 from the field Monday. His defensive versatility continues to stand out, but if his shot begins to fall, he'll become an even bigger factor for Brooklyn moving forward.
Another positive for the Nets was their continued improvement in taking care of the basketball. After committing 20 turnovers in the opener and 16 against Milwaukee, Brooklyn cut that number to 14 against Golden State while recording 22 assists, another encouraging sign as the team prepares for the main Summer League in Las Vegas.
The Nets will head to Las Vegas on Tuesday before opening NBA Summer League action against the New York Knicks on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.
Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/roundtable-rtb/id6450423049) and stay even more connected!
Continue reading...
