Cam Thomas’ latest offensive explosion not enough vs. Suns
Cam Thomas maintained his historic rating.
And the networks still didn’t support him.
The young guard enjoyed a third straight starry night following the departure of Kyrie Irving, but the Nets fell to the Suns 116-112 ahead of 17,093 at the Barclays Center.
Thomas posted a team-high 43 points, becoming the youngest player in league history to hit 40 points in three straight games and the first time a net has done so in the NBA. He even passed Sun’s All-Star Devin Booker, who was 19 years old on his return after his left groin injury that had sidelined him since Christmas.
But the Nets (32-22) offered Thomas little offensive help. Nic Claxton and TJ Warren each had 17 points, with no other Net finishing with more than eight points.
They played without the injured Kevin Durant and Seth Curry, as well as Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith (the players transferred for Irving).
Thomas’ finger roll left Brooklyn 112-109 by 11 seconds, and after fouling Booker, he watched the Suns star shockingly miss both free throws. The Nets – on a 14-3 run to charge back – had a chance, but Phoenix wisely fouled.
While Thomas sank both attempts with 7.7 seconds left, venerable Suns veteran Chris Paul responded by hitting both free throws to increase the lead to three. Thomas was fouled with 4 seconds left, sinking the first and missing the second on purpose – finishing 18-to-20 from the streak – but the Nets couldn’t get the rebound they needed.
Deandre Ayton iced it on the other end. The center ended with 33 points and 14 boards to lead the Suns, who won nine of 11. He shot 14 of 18 and prevailed.
The Nets were down by double digits after Paul (12 assists in a game-high) found Mikal Bridges for a runner and a 65-55 lead.
The nets responded, reeling off 12 unanswered points. Joe Harris’ 3-pointer gave them a 67-65 lead midway through the third quarter.
But it was short lived. The Nets allowed an 11-4 run that was capped when Paul found Ayton for a dunk and a 76-71 edge with 3:35 left in the period.
Still hanging around at just 84-81, Brooklyn conceded a 12-2 run that stretched through the quarter, leaving the Nets 96-83 after a slicing layup by Cam Johnson at 9:27.
The nets kept coming, running away unanswered to crawl back in. Warren’s free throws put them in regulation at 6:29 within three, and they got close to a point in the dwindling seconds — but never over the hump.