Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges had lofty goals for the team’s five-game road trip against Western Conference opponents. But the Nets were just 1-4 and their record dropped to 13-13 when they hosted the Knicks last night (Wednesday) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The Nets were 12-10 when they opened the long eight-day stretch on December 11. That day, they fell to the Sacramento Kings 131-118. On Monday night, they punctuated their road trip by falling to the Utah Jazz 125-108. In between Brooklyn had their lone win versus the Phoenix Suns (116-112) and losses to the Denver Nuggets (124-101) and Golden State Warriors (124-120).
In the midst of the tough collection of games, one of the few bright spots for the Nets was the play of guard Cam Thomas, who scored 41 points against the Warriors and put up 32 in Utah.
“Just the way I was feeling out there, the way I started the game off, I felt good coming in, felt better, getting better by the day,” Thomas said after the loss to the Warriors about how comfortable he is getting on the court after returning on November 30 from a sprained left ankle which kept him out for nine games.
“Then I probably say [when I was in] in transition when I did the little floater and that’s when I really felt I was good. So my rhythm is coming back, getting there, where I need to be. So I just want to keep it up and keep it going.”
The Nets allowed 120 or more points in each of their losses and will need to address defensive issues while playing three straight at home, including facing the Denver Nuggets tomorrow and Detroit Pistons on Saturday. The Nets will play the Pistons again on the road next Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks in Brooklyn next Wednesday.
“I feel like we’ve been competing,” Thomas said when assessing the first four games of the road trip. “Obviously, against Denver was a tough one. Back to back, you know, tough. It was just a tough back-to-back. But this game was a good measuring stick. We started off slow, but then we fought back, took the lead, and we had a chance to win.”
Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said the week-plus trip out west was expectedly demanding.
“At the end of the day, this trip took a toll on us, physically, mentally, and so now we are 13-13 and we got to go home and regroup,” Vaughn said. “I give our guys credit for giving what they had. That’s all I ask is to give everything that you had tonight.”