Cam Thomas returned from a nearly two-month absence due to a hamstring injury and the Brooklyn Nets continued to win.
After a successful return to a reserve role, Thomas hopes to help the Nets extend their winning streak to four games on Monday when they host the Golden State Warriors, who are at .500 for the ninth time this season.
Thomas missed 20 games with a strained left hamstring after being injured in the first quarter of Brooklyn’s nine-point win over Indiana on Nov. 5. The Nets went 8-12 in the guard’s absence and began to show improvement as Thomas moved closer to elimination.
Thomas contributed to Brooklyn’s 123-107 win over Minnesota by scoring 30 points in 20 minutes on a night where the Nets’ reserves totaled 62 points. Thomas converted a trio of three-point plays in the first quarter and scored 12 straight Brooklyn points in the third as part of a 9-of-15 performance.
“I feel good to be back with the guys, making the right play, making the right shots and we played really well,” Thomas said. “We won. It’s even better for me. It’s good to have everyone connected.
“Everyone was on the same page, with no difference between the starters and the bench,” continued Thomas, who is averaging 22.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in nine games (eight starts).
“It’s really, really important not to have a decline at the moment,” he said. “So they did a great job off the bench, they came in and did a good job. So we want to continue to build on that and we’ll see how it goes from there. But I’m just happy we got the win.”
The Nets are 7-3 in their last 10 games after scoring 120 points for the fourth time this season. Brooklyn is trying to make it four straight wins for the first time since a 12-game series from December 7, 2022 to January 2, 2023 – shortly before stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were traded to the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, respectively.
The Warriors have hovered around .500 all this month and slipped to 16-16 with a 141-127 overtime loss to the host Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Golden State was outscored 19-5 in overtime and had difficulty defending the paint and avoiding turnovers.
The Warriors gave up 70 points in the paint and allowed the Raptors to shoot 61.4% (35 of 57) inside. Golden State also allowed 35 points off 21 turnovers, the most points by an opponent this season and the eighth time the Warriors have had 20 turnovers in a game.
Golden State committed 15 turnovers after halftime, including seven in the fourth quarter after holding a 13-point lead in the third.
“Just turnovers, end of the third, end of the fourth, we just spread out,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I need to organize ourselves better during these times. It’s my fault.
Those issues marred a 39-point performance from Stephen Curry, who made 12 of 30 field goal attempts, including a 3 with 1:43 left in regulation, to give Golden State a seven-point lead.
Turnover issues also prevented the Warriors from winning four straight games for the first time this season after beating the Suns, Orlando Magic and Mavericks.
The Warriors are also hoping for a better performance on the glass after being overwhelmed 55-42. Golden State gave up 25 rebounds to Toronto’s Scottie Barnes and gave up 18 offensive rebounds.
–Field level media
