Brooklyn Nets move to 2-1 in Las Vegas Summer League with electric comeback win over New York Knicks

Maybe Summer League basketball isn’t so bad … if you have a little, okay a lot, of patience.

The Nets were down 28-11 to the New York Knicks after the first quarter, and that was an improvement. They had been down 18. Across NetsWorld from social media to the Liberty pregame at Barclays Center, there was a lot of “get used to that this season,” from taunting Knicks fans. Indeed, Brooklyn’s offense was unwatchable early. The Nets may be miserable in 2024-25, but if they’re miserable in Las Vegas, you can easily turn the channel and stop thinking about it … or just hang around.

Slowly, Brooklyn mounted a 21-point comeback in typical Summer League fashion. The Knicks committed eight turnovers in the second quarter and the energy shifted. In the end, It was fun, with five Nets in double figures led by Jalen Wilson who in the end wound up with 27 points on 8-of-16 overall, 5-of-10 from deep.

There was a downside. Dariq Whitehead posted another downright depressing stat-line: 0-of-10 from the floor, 0-of-8 from deep, for a single point. He’s now 4-of-34 overall and 2-of-21 from deep. His frustration was visible at more than one point.

Wilson, Noah Clowney and Keon Johnson, teammates on last year’s Long Island Nets squad, brought the points and the flare, showing real progress in areas where each of them need to improve. For Noah, two-point finishing through contact…

…and for Keon, it’s playing under control. His work off-the-catch had some highs and lows, and any NBA team who signs the unrestricted free agent will surely stick him in the corner a bit, but man, the offensive creation looked pretty good, once again. And so was his D, putting the clamps on Knick point guards.

“I think Keon could be a nightmare defensively,” said Summer League head coach Steve Hetzel who worked with KJ a “We challenged him to be the absolute best defender out here in summer league and he’s taken the challenge. He is an incredible athlete, but he can really sit down and guard.”

For Wilson, it was about leadership in the clutch. For the second time in three games, Wilson put up double-digit numbers in the fourth, scoring 15 points to put the game away. He had 11 in Friday night’s overtime win vs. the Indiana Pacers.

In talking with Autumn Johnson of NBA TV post-game, Wilson had this to say about his big scoring night.

“I was just staying poised, staying confident in the moment,” said the Nets wing. “I just want to embrace this moment. It’s a blessing to be here, a blessing to have this opportunity to get a win like this.”

Early in the third quarter, Clowney even got into it with New York’s Duane Washington Jr., and the two had to be separated…

..and it was great. Sure, it’s Summer League, but these are still the Knicks and it’s still basketball.

Clowney played with a chip on his shoulder all night and the Knicks felt it, physically. He missed an attempted poster dunk, snatched rebounds with a little more vigor than usual, and ended up with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, though only 1-of-6 from three. He even committed seven fouls, continuing to take advantage of the ten-foul limit in the world’s most talented AAU tournament.

As in their first comeback win, Wilson took the lead on offense and Clowney on defense, with some big help from Jacob Gilyard who finished with seven steals. They were a juiced-up team with a bench applauding every rotation followed suit. In the second half,

Hetzel decided to play Clowney in more aggressive pick-and-roll coverages, trapping New York’s ball-handlers and showing some fun stuff given his length and mobility. Behind him, the Nets flew around, and the Knicks ultimately finished with 20 turnovers.

Gilyard’s seven steals which NBA TV announcers thought might be a Summer League record, shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. He is, after all, the NCAA career leader in steals. Gilyard is listed at 5’9”! And even then, there’s no way he’s that tall. That made this bomb more impressive…

After that absurd bucket late in the third. Wilson brought the squad home…

Asked what drove the Nets big comeback, Wilson said, “Understanding that we were better than what we were showing. They had a lot of easy points in the first half. We dialed in, got aggressive and I think we wanted it more in the second half.”

As an older player who will be 24 at the start of the regular season, Wilson is someone you expect (rather than hope) to shine in Summer League, but it doesn’t make it any less enjoyable to watch, as Wilson goes for his second-straight All Summer League Team nod … and maybe another trip to the league’s final four.

In the end, it wasn’t pretty with 47 fouls and 34 turnovers, but it wasn’t supposed to be. It was a beautiful Summer League win for the Nets, not because of the style of play (but some of their late defensive rotations were admirable), but because of the energy. Whether it gives you faith for the coming winter months is up to you, but damn it was fun on its own.

Final Score: Brooklyn Nets 92, New York Knicks 85

Cam Thomas talks about the Mikal Bridges trade

Cam Thomas was again courtside as he’s been this week supporting his team. Erik Slater of Clutch Points got him to talk about the Mikal Bridges trade to the Knicks and what it means for him. Thomas, who led the Nets in scoring last season, said that the trade doesn’t change that much, just makes his role a bit different.

“I wouldn’t say it changes, but [there will] probably be more of an emphasis on what I’m supposed to do, you know, scoring the ball and playmaking for the guys. So I wouldn’t necessarily say it changes what I do, because I’ve been doing the same thing since I’ve been here. I’ll probably just take it to a different level, for sure.”

Thomas also said that he hopes to be more of team leader now that he’s in his fourth NBA season.

“I’m really honing in on that and starting early with that. I kind of did it towards the second half of last year because it’s something I wanted to try as the year went on. I’m gonna try to start this year off focusing on that because, honestly, I am [a leader]. I think I’m the second-longest tenured guy on the team, so I am one of the leaders on the team. So I’m definitely trying to hone in on that.”

Thomas also spoke about his contract situation saying there’s been little discussion . The Nets can extend Thomas up through the day before the 2024-25 season begins or wait a year when he’ll become a restricted free agent.

“I haven’t really talked about it much. Like I said before, I’m just trying to get ready for the season. Whatever happens, happens. All that is gonna come. I’m not really worried about that. If I get minutes and play, I feel like I’m one of the best players in the league, and I can really showcase myself.”

Thomas recently changed agents. He’s now represented by Alex Saratsis of Octagon the big sports agency which also includes Steph Curry and Bam Adebayo among others.

The Nets play again Thursday night vs. Orlando Magic at COX Pavilion. Start time is 8:00 p.m. ET. It airs on NBA TV.