“A win is a win.” The Brooklyn Nets put that saying to the test Saturday during their 106-104 victory over the Houston Rockets. Once again, they put themselves in a position through three quarters to coast to a sizable win. And once again, they showed their unique ability to melt down in the fourth.
After leading by 28 in the first half, Jacque Vaughn's squad held an 18-point cushion entering the final frame with Houston on the back end of a back-to-back. However, the Nets scored 18 points in the closing period while shooting 4-of-14 from the field (28.6%) and 9-of-17 from the free-throw line (52.9%). They turned the ball over seven times, allowing the Rockets to attempt 10 more shots.
With Brooklyn holding on for dear life with a four-point lead and 10 seconds remaining, Royce O'Neale threw the ball away on a routine inbounds play. The Rockets collected it and drilled a corner three to cut the deficit to one.
After Cam Thomas made two free throws on the other end, Brooklyn intentionally fouled Houston with three seconds remaining. Fred VanVleet intentionally missed the second free-throw, and Nic Claxton, unable to gain position to grab the rebound, fouled Alperen Sengun in the bonus. However, Sengun missed the first, saving Brooklyn from a collapse of epic proportions.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Nets, who had dropped 17 of their last 21 prior. However, you couldn't help feeling like Brooklyn lost after yet another inept fourth-quarter performance.
Nets' fourth quarter woes almost doomed them
Jacque Vaughn's squad had blown four leads of nine or more in closing periods over their last seven games entering Saturday. They hold the NBA's worst fourth-quarter net rating (-20.6) since Dec. 14, over seven points worse than the 29th-ranked team.
“We just relaxed, and they just came out and played harder than us,” Mikal Bridges said of Brooklyn's fourth-quarter vs. Houston.
Despite his team's sloppy close, Vaughn chose to look at the positives after a much-needed win.
“I did feel we were more comfortable in the fourth quarter. Even when they were making the run, the conversation between our guys was good going back to the huddle,” the coach said. “So that's a big difference than what it was a month ago. So I'm gonna take away the positive piece of it: We're in these situations over and over again, which is good, and we're learning how to deal with it.”
Cam Thomas shines bright vs. Rockets
Cam Thomas started in place of Cam Johnson, who missed the game for personal reasons, and scored a game-high 37 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 12-of-15 from the free-throw line. It marked Thomas' first start in 13 games after Dorian Finney-Smith replaced him in the lineup.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 28, 2024
The third-year guard is Brooklyn's second-leading scorer at 21.0 points per game. Following the win, Vaughn was asked if Thomas' performance could earn him a place in the starting five moving forward.
“The thoughts have always been there,” he replied. “It's always been about trying to balance that group out. I know Cam can score with the first group or the second group. That's what he can do. I loved his aggressiveness tonight, we needed it. He set the tone for us early. His ability to make shots is huge and I think overall, defensively, we're learning how to play with each other and to be able to be in positions for each other, which is huge for this group.
“It definitely has always been on my mind, what's best for the group, and it'll continue to be on my mind for sure.”
Jacque Vaughn on whether Cam Thomas' performance tonight could earn him a place in the starting lineup moving forward:
"The thoughts have always been there. It's always been about trying to balance that group out. I know Cam can score with the first group or the second group. I… pic.twitter.com/aEFOVFnvRP
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 28, 2024
Mikal Bridges added 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting in the win. Finney-Smith snapped out of a recent offensive slump, scoring 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three. However, the veteran wing injured his ankle on a block in the third quarter and could not return. Finney-Smith was a team-high plus-20 for the night.
My goodness, what a block this was by Dorian Finney-Smith on Cam Whitmore.
DFS is having himself a night. pic.twitter.com/VsAKzhyLcs
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) January 28, 2024
Cam Whitmore and Dillon Brooks led Houston with 19 points each.
The Nets will return to action Monday night vs. the Utah Jazz, with Ben Simmons expected to return after a three-month absence.
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