Cam Johnson lethal early, Trendon Watford clutch late as Nets outlast Hornets 116-115

Even without Cam Thomas and the luxury of a steadfast center, the Nets rallied from an aboriginal 17-point spread to bushed the Charlotte Hornets 116-115 connected Tuesday astatine Barclays Center. A balanced scoring effort, fueled by a season-high 34 points from seasoned guardant Cam Johnson, was capable to outlast the unremitting visitors down the stretch.

With the Nets clinging to a 109-108 pb with 2 minutes left, Trendon Watford, making his 2nd quality of the play disconnected the bench, proceeded to people 7 consecutive points to enactment them up 116-111 with 38.9 seconds left. It was a three-point crippled with 5.5 2nd left, but a 3-pointer from Charlotte’s Brandon Miller fell abbreviated arsenic clip expired. Watford led each Nets reserves with 10 points successful the win.

In snapping a season-worst 3 crippled losing streak against Charlotte, Brooklyn (6-9) earned its sixth triumph of the play and archetypal of the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup. It is present 1-1 successful East Group A and volition play its adjacent NBA Cup crippled connected Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers astatine Wells Fargo Center.

The short-handed Nets recovered themselves down 22-9 retired of the gate. Charlotte went 8-of-12 from 3-point scope successful the archetypal 4th and had a 14-point pb entering the second. That vantage swelled to 17 points with 10:05 near successful the archetypal half.

But determination was excessively overmuch hoops near to beryllium played. Jordi Fernandez’s Nets ne'er stopped fighting, yet channeled amended effort astatine some ends of the tribunal and rallied. A Jalen Wilson trey with 1:42 near successful the archetypal fractional chopped Brooklyn’s shortage to two, though they yet went into the locker country astatine halftime down five.

Johnson led each scorers successful the archetypal fractional with 16 points. After giving up 37 points connected a 68.4% clip successful the archetypal quarter, the Nets held Charlotte to conscionable 22 points connected a 32% clip successful the 2nd and outscored them by 9 points.

Back-to-back makes from down the arc from Wilson and Dorian Finney-Smith gave the Nets their archetypal pb of the night, 60-59, with 10:49 near successful the 3rd quarter. They kept pouring it connected implicit the adjacent 4 minutes and built and 11-point lead, but it was lone impermanent separation, arsenic the Hornets would people 12 points disconnected six Brooklyn turnovers to instrumentality a two-point lead, 87-85, into the last frame.

With Thomas out, Watford stepped up arsenic the person Brooklyn desperately needed down the stretch. Miller led Charlotte with 29 points and All-Star defender LaMelo Ball was constricted to 12 points connected 3-of-13 shooting.

All 5 of the Nets’ starters finished successful treble figures, including Ben Simmons and Wilson, who scored 10 and 17 points, respectively. Wilson, who went 5-of-8 from deep, acceptable a caller vocation precocious for 3-pointers made successful a game.

And Johnson has been playing elite hoops arsenic of late. His 34 points connected Tuesday were the astir helium has scored successful a Nets uniform. After having conscionable six games with astatine slightest 20 points past season, helium already has six specified games crossed his archetypal 15 appearances this season. Brooklyn besides enjoyed its 4th crippled with astatine slightest 30 assists (31) this season.