The Brooklyn Nets moved over .500 with a 124-104 win over the Orlando Magic Tuesday night at Barclays Center. After leading by 15 in the first quarter, the Nets fell behind at the half but tightened the defensive screws late, holding the Magic to 6-of-21 shooting in the fourth quarter with four assists and four turnovers.
Here are three key takeaways from a decisive Brooklyn win.
Cam Johnson shakes off the rust
Cam Johnson was among the Nets' most productive offensive players after joining the team at last year's trade deadline. However, a calf strain sidelined him for eight games after Brooklyn's season opener. He returned Friday at the Boston but struggled to find a rhythm during his last two games, shooting 9-of-29 from the field and 5-of-17 from three with three assists and five turnovers.
After playing extended minutes Sunday vs. the Washington Wizards, the 6-foot-8 sharpshooter turned in his first high-level performance of the season against Orlando, scoring 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from three. He also contributed three steals defensively.
“Even when guys are healthy enough to play, it doesn't mean they are 100 percent with their rhythm and timing and conditioning,” head coach Jacque Vaughn said postgame. “I ran him a little longer last game just to get a little wing underneath him to hopefully put him in a position where he's got a second or third wing going forward. To see him and his ability to shoot the basketball, guard multiple positions, get downhill and be disruptive on the defensive end of the floor, really good to see.”
Johnson signed a four-year, $94.5 million contract extension this offseason. His efficient performance is a welcome sight for a Nets team that has been plagued by injuries early this season.
Nets show improvement in key defensive area
The Nets entered the season with high defensive expectations, given their new-look roster's length, versatility and athleticism. That hype had yet to materialize entering Tuesday. Brooklyn ranked 17th in defensive rating, a number inflated by Sunday's matchup with a struggling Wizards offense.
Vaughn said pregame that one primary deficiency has prevented the Nets from reaching their defensive potential: forcing turnovers. Entering the Magic matchup, Brooklyn ranked dead last in steals and 23rd in points off turnovers.
“You look at our group, we should have the versatility and the length to be a top-10 defensive team,” Vaughn said. “We have great effective field goal percentage allowed, we’re not fouling, we’re incredibly rebounding at a top-five rate, which is unheard of for this group if you think about us last year. The one thing we aren’t doing is turning people over.
“If we can correct that, if we were middle of the pack in turning people over, we’d be a top 10 defensive team. Now there’s some strategy, there’s some schemes behind that. There’s also personnel behind that where you take this team tonight, where they have a young club that is really frisky and get their hand around the ball and stick their nose in areas that might not be conducive to not getting hit, then our group has to have a little bit of that if we’re gonna move the needle in turning people over. There’s some risk that’s involved and we haven’t taken the risks needed to increase that turnover rate.”
Vaughn's squad heard the message loud and clear. The Nets forced Orlando into 16 turnovers, leading to 27 points. The Magic entered the game 27th in the NBA in three-point shooting at 33.1 percent. Brooklyn took advantage of this by aggressively digging down on drivers while surrendering catch-and-shoot threes.
The result was 13 steals. While the Magic were hot from behind the arc early, they cooled off in the second half, finishing at 34.8 percent on 46 attempts.
Spencer Dinwiddie shines in lead role
With Ben Simmons leading Brooklyn's transition attack and Cam Thomas emerging as the team's lead halfcourt scorer, Spencer Dinwiddie had taken a backseat early this season. Despite injuries to Simmons and Thomas, that trend continued Sunday vs. Washington, with Mikal Bridges acting as the team's lead ball-handler down the stretch.
The Nets struggled offensively against the Wizards, scoring 102 points on 37.8 percent shooting as Dinwiddie played primarily off-ball.
Vaughn adjusted vs. Orlando, using Dinwiddie as the team's primary ball-handler for most of the game. The 30-year-old answered with a game-high 29 points and eight assists on 10-of-18 shooting. He scored 12 points and dished four assists on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 from three in the fourth quarter.
“I just thought the command that he had from the beginning of the game was suited for us to win tonight,” Vaughn said postgame. “His ability to get downhill and get to the rim, you saw that early and often, that put a lot of pressure on them. And then, the ability to make shots, and so that combination is lethal. He has the ability to do that for us.
“I talked about trying to figure out the exact role where he fits in. We're trying to figure it out as a team as we get healthy and get guys back, so great effort by Spencer tonight. His ability to really command the basketball, you saw.”
Dinwiddie's future in Brooklyn is uncertain, given his advanced age and an inconsistent role early this season. Before Tuesday, the 10-year veteran was attempting 8.4 shots per game, over five less than last season, while posting his lowest usage percentage since 2020-21.
His efficient performance against Orlando shows he still has plenty left in the tank as a lead offensive initiator. Dinwiddie let it be known postgame.
“Statistically speaking, given my effectiveness throughout my career in both isolation and pick and roll, it kind of makes me one of the better offensive engines to have put on this jersey, especially in the halfcourt,” he said. “With that being said, you also have to play off whatever the flow is with the guys that are out there and accept whatever is going on while it's going on in real-time. So if it’s passing, it’s passing. If it’s shooting, it’s shooting.
“There’s a multi-faceted nature to my ability to help the team. I think that’s probably why, at least before tonight, I’m pretty sure I had the highest net rating on the team.”
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