The Brooklyn Nets don’t have any momentum nor a lot of accomplishments this season.
Unless they’re playing the Charlotte Hornets.
The Nets will go for a sweep of the season series Saturday night in Charlotte in a matchup pitting two teams well outside the guaranteed playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets have lost nine consecutive games, including an excruciating 118-117 result Friday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brooklyn has defeated Charlotte in all three meetings this season.
The Nets have lost six consecutive games, with three of those at home. Golden State, which topped the Hornets on Monday, nipped the Nets 121-119 on Thursday night.
“Playing a team like this face-to-face the whole time, I’m proud of the guys,” Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said. “Obviously, I want to be better defensively. … The positive is we got better.”
The Nets gave up 40 points to Stephen Curry of the Warriors.
The Hornets had a different type of misery Friday in a season during which there have been plenty of problems to choose from. They rallied from a double-figure deficit to surge into a nine-point lead with 5:39 left before faltering.
Cleveland attempted 51 free throws to Charlotte’s 21.
“All we do is try to focus on controlling what we can control,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “… There are things we can do to not put ourselves in that type of situation.”
On the plus side for the Hornets, Miles Bridges scored 46 points. Then there was guard LaMelo Ball, who had a rough night by fouling out after playing 23 minutes. He had 13 points.
The Hornets need other sources of production. Tidjane Salaun had nine points, six rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes off the bench.
The Hornets added more backcourt help last week when they signed point guard and former first-round draft Malachi Flynn to a 10-day contract. He made his debut with Charlotte by logging eight minutes last Saturday and two minutes Monday, but he wasn’t used Wednesday or Friday. Lee has talked about the potential for an impact from Flynn, but with Ball back from another injury, there aren’t as many minutes available.
The way Lee talked, there could be a long-term role for Flynn.
“He’s a guy I think has proven that he can fill it up and score in a lot of different ways,” Lee said. “He’s been in the NBA system — just knowing personnel, knowing defensive schemes, understanding what it takes to impact winning.”
For the Nets, Cameron Johnson had 26 points against Golden State to lead Brooklyn in scoring for the first time in six games.
The Nets have received boosts from Nic Claxton, who had a career-high 10 assists against Golden State, and Cam Thomas, who has averaged 6.5 assists across the past two games. Thomas said he hasn’t altered his approach, matching his season high with seven assists Thursday.
“I pass it, and my teammates got to make it, and they’re making it,” Thomas said. “So it goes on the stat sheet as an assist.”
Johnson racked up 34 points in a 116-115 home victory Nov. 19 against Charlotte, and Keon Johnson led the team in scoring with 18 points in a 104-83 Jan. 29 road victory against the Hornets. Since that game, Keon Johnson has reached that 18-point mark only twice in 14 games.
Brooklyn beat the visiting Hornets 97-89 on Feb. 10, with Claxton leading the way with 16 points.
–Field Level Media
