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The Brooklyn Nets were supposed to be tanking this season. Jordi Fernandez and his players haven't gotten the memo.
After defeating the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, the Nets were double-digit underdogs against the Golden State Warriors on Monday at Chase Center. Fernandez's squad was without Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith, Ben Simmons and Noah Clowney entering the matchup. They would lose leading scorers Cam Thomas and Cam Johnson during the game.
It didn't matter.
Brooklyn overcame an 18-point third-quarter deficit on its way to a 128-120 win over the Western Conference's No. 1 team. They outscored the Warriors 41-28 in the fourth quarter while playing several players casual NBA fans would have difficulty naming.
Dennis Schroder led the win with 31 points and seven assists on 10-of-18 shooting. However, Jalen Wilson, Ziaire Williams, Trendon Watford and Keon Johnson closed the game alongside him. Veteran guard Shake Milton and two-way signing Tyrese Martin played extended minutes during the closing period.
“All seven guys that finished… That group was amazing,” Fernandez said. “If you think about it, Tyrese was a two-way; he hasn't seen the floor much, and he was ready to contribute… Keon's defense, T Wat's three, Dennis' scoring and leadership, Ziaire's fight as our center. Jalen Wilson played 41 minutes on a back-to-back. Shake is helping us score. You go down the line, and what this group did was amazing. So credit to all of them.”
Williams posted 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals on 6-of-11 shooting, while Wilson added 18 points and seven rebounds on 5-of-11 shooting. Johnson and Martin's defense slowed down the Warriors' attack in the fourth quarter. And Watford scored five points in the final 3:30, including a dagger three with one minute remaining.
Nets embracing Jordi Fernandez mentality during early success
Terms like “Brooklyn Grit” and “next man up mentality” may sound cliche. However, they've become accurate descriptors of the Nets in their first season under Fernandez.
“Everyone's just ready. Everyone's ready for the opportunity,” Jalen Wilson said. “Jordi always says next man up, and that's the mentality that we all have. We always have to pick each other up, and if somebody goes down, we gotta find a way to win… No matter whose in or who's out, we still gotta play the same style of our ball and understand what we wanna do, and that's a win… Seeing people go down isn't what we wanna see, but no one is gonna give us an excuse for losing.”
While the Nets received unlikely contributions, Schroder's play continued to be at the center of their success. The veteran floor general scored or assisted on 27 of Brooklyn's 45 points in the fourth quarter.
“He took control of the game and took control of the lead. He put everybody in the right place on both ends of the floor, and that's that kind of leadership [he brings]. It's like having a coach on the floor,” Fernandez said. “And when those things happen, I just let him do his thing, and if he has a question for me, I'll try to give him an answer… Just his performance overall in the second half was that of a true leader.”
Like the Nets, Schroder has been among the NBA's top surprises this season. The 30-year-old has averaged 18.0 points and 6.5 assists per game on 46/41/86 shooting splits. He's one of six NBA players averaging 18-plus points and six-plus assists on over 40 percent shooting from three, joining LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Jalen Brunson and Darius Garland.
Thomas, who has been dealing with a nagging back injury, kept the Nets in the game before Fernandez pulled him to manage his load. The 23-year-old posted 23 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in 23 minutes. The performance comes after he posted 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting with six assists and one turnover against Sacramento.
Monday's victory brings the Nets to 8-10. After entering the season with a projected win total of 18.5, the franchise's lowest in 30 years, Fernandez's squad is on pace for 36 wins.
The Nets have beaten formidable opponents in the the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies (twice), Kings and Warriors. They lost to the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets in overtime and came within one bucket of defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
Many within league circles have presumed Brooklyn will continue a roster teardown this season to maximize its draft pick. With each win pushing the Nets further away from the top odds in the lottery, general manager Sean Marks will soon face decisions on which direction to proceed amid his team's hot start.
