The Brooklyn Nets had a lot riding on a Sunday afternoon tipoff. Coming off a five-game home losing streak, they were desperate to shake the narrative that they really struggle at home. Of course, there's more to unpack with that story as Kyrie Irving, now back as a part-time player, cannot help them in Brooklyn. On nights when Irving is out, the team will continue to try to cobble things together.

It was rookie Cam Thomas who delivered the game-winner in overtime against the San Antonio Spurs after a late collapse in regulation.

“It’s been tough of course,” said Thomas after a recent Nets loss to Milwaukee on Friday, the team's fifth home loss in a row. “Cause everybody was out at different periods, like it was kinda like groups. The first group went out, then the other group went out. So it’s tough right now, just trying to be back in the flow, get back playing with each other but eventually I think we’ll figure it out. We’re a great team, so gon’ figure it out eventually.”

Perhaps there was a little foreshadowing there from Thomas, who always seems to ooze confidence:

Thomas finished with 11 points and six boards off the bench, none bigger than that trusty floater he honed dating back to high school.

“We knew my man was gonna double,” Thomas told YES Network's Michael Grady after the game. “So they just told me to sprint up and be an outlet for him and if I get it shoot it or drive it and I got the game-winner.”

Kevin Durant finished with 28 points, six dimes, and three blocks. Nic Claxton said Durant's tone defensively helped spark the Nets to a win.

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Does KD think teams will stop doubling him on final possessions now that Thomas made the Spurs pay?

“I doubt they will [stop doubling me],” said Durant. “I doubt that a team will sit up there and let me dribble for six, seven seconds, and let me try to score on somebody. You gotta give them credit. ‘Cause in my mind I'm like, ‘Alright, do I have an isolation, do I have a one-on-one situation, then as I'm getting into my move, then boom.' So coaches been trying to throw me off with that type of stuff, but that's the stuff that's gonna happen in the playoffs. That's gonna happen for the rest of my career. I mean, that's how good I am as a player. I gotta be able to see my teammates and trust in 'em, and tonight was another night.”

Lonnie Walker IV led the way for Gregg Popovich's team with 25 points. He drove into the paint and found rookie Joshua Primo for one of his four dimes. Primo tied it up with a monster 3 at 113 apiece. Durant couldn't bail the Nets out on the final possession before the extra period, missing a pull-up short and to the left. The blitz worked the first time, but Durant suggested seeing that in regulation helped prepare him for when it happened in OT. That's how he knew to hit Thomas, who came open streaking over the middle. Durant has been playing plenty of quarterback these days.

In overtime, the Nets built a four-point lead with 1:29 remaining, but again the Spurs stormed back.

That's when Thomas stepped up.

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“Its cool because I told Kevin before coming out of that timeout, ‘I'm trying to get on the plane, man [to Portland], so end the game.' He gave it to me, so I said, ‘I'll do it.'”

For the next game, Steve Nash indicated that the Nets will be a full go in terms of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

They won't have much time to savor this one, as they'll be jumping on that plane for Oregon right away.

“It's crazy,” said Thomas. “Kinda just to be a part of a good team with so many great players, basically legends of the game, and then for them to have trust in me to go in there and make that kinda shot in this kinda game, that's kinda surreal, but you wanna keep building, keep building on it and just keep working.”

For Brooklyn, this finally snaps that five-game home losing streak at The Clays. For whatever reason, they have been road warriors all season long and haven't possessed much of a home-court advantage. The Nets will try to tap that part of their identity Monday versus the Blazers with a boost from Irving.