Even without Jordi Fernández, the Nets put up a high score in _Big Buck Hunter_ tonight.
Returning home their second game of alternate programming to NBA Cup, Brooklyn secured their most dominant win of the season this evening. It was also the first career head-coaching win for Steve Hetzel, who had to fill in for Fernández, who sat out with the flu.
Before the game, Hetzel explained that he aimed embody an extension of what Fernández preaches. In a game where the Nets dominated from deep, pressured the ball, and won when they probably shouldn’t have, he couldn’t have done a better job.
“The main message is just an extending message of what Jordi always talks about: being competitive, selfless, and connected out on the basketball floor,” he said. “In this five-game series, we’re 2-2 with the opportunity to go 3-2 after tonight. It would be our first time to win a five-game series, so that’s our goal.”
Fernández’s extended presence could be felt from the jump. After a poor performance on Friday, the coach [publicly criticized](https://x.com/NYPost_Lewis/status/1999704291146100939?s=20) and challenged Egor Dëmin to play better. Dëmin, even with Fernández unable to see it in person, was ready to show his coach he could do better. The eighth overall pick made all four of his opening period shots, including a triple off a screen which got the scoring started for Brooklyn.
Even with Myles Turner lurking, he also managed to put some pressure on the rim…
“Very, very proud of him,” Hetzel said of Dëmin. “You know, \[Fernandez\] challenged Egor, he challenged Drake, and they both responded beautifully with an edge…You got to be quick to forget about the last one. Move on and play better.”
As Dëmin aimed to turn things around, Michael Porter Jr. looked to maintain course. The Nets’ latest forward flourishing in an expanded opportunity here in Brooklyn gave us five first period points along with three assists. He only finished with 12 points tonight, but his teammates had his back, which became a defining theme for the game.
For the whole contest, but especially in the first, Day’Ron Sharpe played a major role in that regard. He led everyone with nine points in the first, finding ample success in the pick and roll whether being set up by Drake Powell or Tyrese Martin off the bench.
Between those three, the Nets put up 37 first period points and led Milwaukee by double digits going into the second frame. They posted .625/.500 splits in the quarter and their made 15 field goals represented a first-quarter season high. The frame wasn’t without a few sloppy sequences, which were to be expected from a young team missing its skipper, but Brooklyn found a way to turn enough of them in their favor.
The Nets inflated their lead to 18 early in the second and got it as large as 19. While continuing to shoot well, they forced six Buck turnovers in the frame which gave them eight extra points.
Despite all those buckets, the Nets were five seconds away from going into halftime without a single playing reaching double digit points, as Nic Claxton got 10 right before the buzzer. The balanced attack saw six Nets contribute with eight or more points in the first half. It was the first time they did that since 2/26/24 at Memphis, and put the Nets in front by a 65-48 score.
Milwaukee, playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight (and now maybe forever) looked like a team missing its best player. Aside from their loose grip on the rock, they struggled to create out of their offensive sets, often relying on Kyle Kuzma or Kevin Porter Jr. to create in isolation. Kuz led all scorers at the break with 13 points after shooting 6-10 from the field. He and Ryan Rollins were the only Bucks with more than two made field goals in the half.
Miraculously, the Bucks were even worse at the other end. To say their wing defenders were like turn styles would be disrespectful to the people in charge of MTA security.
Seeing those deer in their headlights, the Nets then floored it in the third, going up by as many as 29 in the period. They got 10 more points off turnovers in the quarter and canned four triples in the frame’s first five minutes and went on to shoot 7-14 from deep in the frame. In doing so, they matched Milwaukee’s total amount of made threes for the game by that point.
Perhaps the best part about Brooklyn’s massive lead entering the fourth was that it allowed us to see Nolan Traoré a length for the first time all season. The second pick of the Flatbush Five has spent most of the year on Long Island, but came in tonight with nine minutes to go. He never got into the scoring column, but helped others do so, tallying three assists in nine minutes.
“I just like his confidence,” Hetzel said of Traore. “When he was assigned to Long Island, he spent some time down there, and he did really, really well. His numbers were great. The team played well, and you can see a different player. So just that game experience, playing against NBA style basketball with Long Island, we have a great staff down in Long Island that coaches in the same as we do here, and you could just see his confidence at a much different level than last time he played.”
In the process, Brooklyn’s lead boiled into the 40s. What looked like an old fashioned blowout eventually turned into an embarrassment to basketball on Milwaukee’s part. At one point, The Nets are up 125-82 with 2:26 to play and Jericho Sims thought it’d be a good idea to try and dribble the ball through a defender’s legs. He ended up just tossing it out of bounds.
Dëmin ended up leading the Nets with 17 points after shooting 6-8 from the field and 2-4 from deep. He also came up with two steals. Clowney followed with 16 points after going 4-8 from deep. Martin added 14 points, going 5-8 from the field and 4-5 from deep. Between their scoring contributions and those of and Sharpe (13), Powell (13) Mann (12), while Williams (10), Claxton (10), and Wolf (10), the Nets had nine guys reach double figures.
“Normally, Mike has been carrying us offensively, and then you see how spread out the points are amongst the group,” Hetzel said. “I don’t think anybody that stepped on the court played poorly. Complete team effort, totally focused.”
Hetzel also noted he got a “big ice bath” after the game and praised his staff, including Fernández.
“It feels good, but it’s really, you know, we’re all an extension of Jori, and everything that he’s done,” he said. “The way they played in his absence just shows how much they care about playing for him. And then the entire staff, you know, Jay Hernandez was in the huddle, drawing up ATOs. He works the offensive side of the ball. Juwan, helping with the subs, Dutch on the bench, and everybody behind. We have a tremendous, tremendous staff. And the best thing about everyone that works here is that everybody’s got an ego in terms of their confidence, but they have zero ego to rock the boat in a negative way.”
For anyone on tank watch and upset with the win, just know it could always be worse. The guys they played tonight can’t be feeling better. They’re _really_ trying to win, and in the process, convince the only guy keeping them relevant that he shouldn’t jump ship. They did a horrible job at it tonight, too.
While it’s five years too late, and not in the way we all want, the Nets might’ve finally defeated the entity that is “Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.”
“It’s awesome just just to be a part of this group,” Hetzel concluded. “Jordi and I are like brothers, or I view him like a brother. When he asked me to come work for him, I said absolutely. But this win is more of a reflection of everything that everybody on the staff does, and it’s fun to win. It’s fun to play well. I’m glad that we got it for Jordi.”
**Final: Brooklyn Nets 127, Milwaukee Bucks 82**
As mentioned, Jordi Fernández missed tonight’s game with an illness which we later learned to be the flu. Despite his absence, Hetzel made it seem like the coach is doing as well as you could under those circumstance.
“He’s doing well,” Hetzel said pregame. “He calls himself a specimen. He tested positive for the flu, but he has no fever. So he feels good. I talked to him this morning. I saw him, he was in here. He was in good spirits, but I think it was best for him to just get some rest.”
Ben Saraf also missed tonight with and undisclosed illness.
The Nets will get their first crack at the Miami Heat this year on Thursday evening after three days off. At the time of writing, Miami holds the east’s eighth best record at 14-11, having lost four straight. He won’t suit up, but it’ll be Haywood Highsmith’s first game against his former team.