Jordi Fernandez’s plan takes shape as Nets cruise to 115-102 victory over Bucks in home opener

The Nets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 115-102 successful Sunday’s location opener astatine Barclays Center, earning their archetypal triumph of the 2024-25 play and Jordi Fernandez‘s archetypal triumph arsenic an NBA caput coach.

Fernandez, present 3 games into his caller job, has been hellbent connected trying to found a winning culture successful Brooklyn. He wants the franchise to champion correspond the Brooklyn grit and the Brooklyn Way. It remains a enactment progress, and it volition instrumentality immoderate clip earlier Fernandez’s imaginativeness tin beryllium afloat fleshed out. But Sunday’s 13-point triumph — against a perennial contender successful the Eastern Conference — gave america an thought of what it could look like.

The Nets changeable the shot poorly and were out-rebounded successful the archetypal half, but they held Milwaukee to 39.5% shooting and forced 10 turnovers, which gave them 11 much changeable attempts and 8 other points. They started 1-of-6 from the tract and 0-of-3 from heavy but continued to thin connected their defence adjacent erstwhile shots were not falling. Their persistence was rewarded with a 48-45 halftime lead, and they did not fto up down the stretch.

Brooklyn would bounds the Bucks to 44.6% shooting for the crippled (10-of-33 from deep). It turned 18 turnovers into 21 points and won the conflict connected the solid 47-43. Giannis Antetokounmpo inactive got his buckets, finishing with 22 points successful 33 minutes, but the Nets did not fto the two-time MVP interruption the game. Nic Claxton, who came disconnected the seat for the 3rd consecutive game, served arsenic Antetokounmpo’s superior defender and was plus-23 successful 22 minutes.

Cam Thomas, continuing his torrid violative commencement to the 2024-25 season, poured successful a game-high 32 points for Brooklyn and Dennis Schröder added 29 points, for rebounds and six assists. The Nets were plus-17 successful changeable attempts successful the win