The NBA knew what it was doing when it penciled in the Charlotte Hornets vs the Brooklyn Nets on a Monday night. You’d never want to ruin a Friday, Saturday, or even a Thursday evening with the vibes of what some fans might call a “tank-off.” But when it’s on a Monday, one after a long weekend, you’re at least bundling the bad with the bad.
The Hornets might not be revving their tank’s engine as loud as Brooklyn is this year. They’ve drafted with high picks for years and likely want to see some progress this year rather than improved pick positioning. But still, they brought a 6-14 record in the Barclays Center this evening, and that stunted the game’s competitive spirit leading up to tipoff.
Indeed, it felt like a battle between two basement dwellers seconds into the game. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. Kon Knueppel buried a three almost immediately after the tip when nobody thought to follow the 41% 3P shooter over to the corner…
With nowhere to go but up after that, Brooklyn did so after that, only to plummet and rise again multiple times in a true rollercoaster first period. A few sequences after that opening debacle, Egor Dëmin had about as resilient of a 30 seconds as you’ll see. After LaMelo Ball rejected one of his jumpers, he darted toward the rim to find his own rebound and finish it. Then at the other end, he poked away a pass in the halfcourt before going coast to coast for a modest slam.
Much of Brooklyn’s early offense ran through Dëmin with Terance Mann out tonight, but Ben Saraf and Drake Powell got reps off the bench too. Danny Wolf also followed them into the game at the 4:46 mark of the first, giving us our first opening quarter all season with four rookies logging minutes.
Michael Porter Jr. essentially switched spots with Mann tonight as one of the lone grown-ups at the kids table, coming off the injury report to play for the first time since the Knicks game. MPJ was aggressive looking for his shot early but lacked his usual touch, beginning the game 2-7 from the field. So, Nic Claxton, the other adult in the room, handled most of the scoring load, leading everyone after one with eight points.
Claxton’s efforts paired with Brooklyn’s +8 advantage in points off turnovers was enough to keep Brooklyn within one after the first despite Charlotte shooting better from the field and three.
It was in the second where Porter Jr. shook off the rust, going for 11 points in the period and 3-3 on triples. On the contrary, Brooklyn’s defense stiffened in the frame’s top half. The Nets’ closeouts proved too slow for Hornets buzzing around the 3-point line after drive and kick sequences, who led by as many as 11 at one point.
But right when it looked like Charlotte might run away with the game, the young guns provided enough backup to help Brooklyn pull even 59-59 by halftime. Powell and Noah Clowney combined for 15 points in the second after going 3-5 from deep. Powell’s best moment of the half might’ve come at the other end, leading to zero points as well, but allow this troubled New York Giants fan a moment here…
Despite that missed opportunity, the Nets maintained a 17-8 halftime advantage in points off turnovers. They also grabbed 14 second chance points despite being down overall on the glass. Porter Jr. led all scorers with 17 points after totaling five made threes.
Naturally a fan of that steal-and-score formula, the Nets kept it going in the second half as well, snatching 10 points off turnovers. Powell poked away his fourth steal for the game in the process. Those are the most by a Nets rookie since David Duke Jr. on 2/8/22. The last Brooklyn rookie with five steals in a game was Chris McCullough on 4/6/16.[](https://x.com/collinhelwig/status/1995683146512388555)
However, Charlotte copied and executed other page of their first half blueprints, beating the Nets in second chance points 12-2 in the third to keep things relatively even. Dëmin picked up his fourth personal foul for the game with 5:38 to go in the third after fouling Ryan Kalkbrenner on a second-chance lay-in, but Nets were able to hang onto a six point lead at the start of the fourth.
There, the Nets started with Powell, Saraf, Wolf, Williams, and Day’Ron Sharpe, giving every concerned tank commander what they were asking for. But even with LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges out there, payoff never hit. Brooklyn’s lead never budged and even inflated to eight points at one point.
Porter Jr., Claxton, and Dëmin checked in with seven to go. Clowney followed about 60 second later, but Wolf remained on the floor with the usual starters. But by that point, it was time to let the vets drive, and they wasted little time hitting the gas. Porter Jr. splashed his sixth three of the night to make Brooklyn’s lead eight with about five to play. Clowney then pushed it to double digits and Kalkbrenner into the upside down 30 seconds later…
Danny Wolf added a quick encore a few seconds later, plus a foul, giving the Nets their largest lead of the ballgame…
With the Hornets looking as defeated as they had all game, their fans stated leaking out of the lower bowl. As that happened, I spotted one fan sitting baseline with “DRAFT PICKS” and the no. 15 stitched on the back of his jersey. Initially, I expected he felt frustrated with what had unfolded in front of him, hoping to see a loss that better positions Brooklyn’s pending picks.
However, “future” wasn’t on the jersey, and Brooklyn’s first batch of picks since they started rebuilding looked pretty damn good tonight. On the evening that the Nets got their first home win of the season, let’s just pretend he was rooting for them, not a loss.
**Final: Brooklyn Nets 116, Charlotte Hornets 103**
It’s been all quite on the Cam Thomas front for a few weeks now, but Jordi Fernández said pregame he’d have an MRI at the end of the week and Brooklyn would provide an update after. Thomas last played on November 5th.
The Chicago Bulls have gone 3-9 after starting the season 6-1 and will face the Brooklyn Nets next on Wednesday evening. The Nets haven’t beat the Bulls since 2023 in a game that featured Mikal Bridges, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Royce O’Neale. The contest tips off at 8:00 p.m. at the United Center.