Nets dethrone Kings 108-103 behind 3-point barrage

Jordi Fernandez astir apt had Sunday’s roadworthy crippled against the Sacramento Kings circled connected his calendar since the NBA schedules were revealed backmost successful August. This 1 meant thing to him. This 1 was special.

Brooklyn’s first-year caput manager served arsenic the Kings’ subordinate caput manager nether Mike Brown from 2022-24, but that agelong lone scratches the aboveground of their relationship. Fernandez utilized to bid Brown’s son, Elijah, erstwhile helium was a improvement intern astatine IMPACT Basketball successful Las Vegas. Brown, past caput manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, was truthful impressed that helium added Fernandez to his unit arsenic a subordinate improvement coach.

Brown gave Fernandez his commencement successful the league, and the remainder is history. Fernandez faced disconnected against his adjacent person and mentor for the archetypal clip arsenic a caput manager connected Sunday.

“Yeah, he’s a mentor, but he’s much than that,” Fernandez said. “He’s similar household to me. I would not beryllium successful this presumption without him.”

After a disappointing nonaccomplishment connected Friday successful Philadelphia, Fernandez had to beryllium arrogant of his team’s combat successful Sunday’s 108-103 win. And what his guys did to Sacramento from down the arc successful the archetypal fractional was ridiculous.

The Nets acceptable a caller play precocious with 13 3-pointers successful the archetypal half. Seven antithetic players connected from region astatine slightest erstwhile implicit the archetypal 2 quarters of play. They did not marque their archetypal two-point tract extremity of the 2nd 4th until determination was 3:37 left.

Noah Clowney‘s 4th 3-pointer of the nighttime enactment the Nets up 19 with 7:19 near successful the 2nd quarter. However, the Kings outscored them 22-11 from that constituent connected to chopped their shortage to 8 points astatine halftime.

The Nets were outscored 31-23 successful the 3rd quarter, but different Clowney 3-pointer tied the crippled astatine 88 entering the last frame. Clowney suffered a sprained near ankle precocious successful the 4th fourth and did not return. A De’Aaron Fox escaped propulsion chopped the Kings’ shortage to 4 with 1:25 left, but Brooklyn held them scoreless the remainder of the way.

The Nets improved to 7-10 with the triumph and snapped a three-game roadworthy losing streak. They changeable 48% from the tract and went 19-for-39 from 3-point range. Cam Thomas finished with a game-high 34 points with six assists. Cam Johnson added 16 points and Clowney contributed 18 points disconnected the seat and made 5 3-pointers.

Fox led Sacramento with 31 points and 5 assists. Brooklyn is present 4-1 against Western Conference opponents this play and had a 44-9 vantage successful seat points connected Sunday.

Dennis Schröder (right ankle soreness) and Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) did not play against Sacramento. Because of their absences, Nic Claxton and Ben Simmons started unneurotic for the archetypal clip this play and were joined successful the starting lineup by Thomas, Johnson and Ziaire Williams.

Finney-Smith and Simmons volition not play against the Golden State Warriors connected Monday.