The Brooklyn Nets opened preseason play with a shot-making showcase and never really let the Charlotte Hornets breathe, rolling to a 124-90 win Tuesday night.
Brooklyn’s edge started with the three-ball. The Nets knocked down 11 threes in the first half alone, then kept stretching the floor after halftime to finish with 20 made triples. They took a 56-52 lead into the break, then slammed the door by outscoring Charlotte 68-38 over the final two quarters.
Michael Porter Jr. set the tone early and finished with a team-high 16 points. Julius Randle added 13, while Nolan Traore chipped in 10. Drake Powell scored nine, and Day’Ron Sharpe turned in a solid all-around line with eight points and seven rebounds.
Porter Jr. wasted no time getting involved, putting up 10 points in the first quarter. He hit a pair of threes in the opening period, including one from Randle, and then returned the favor with a three of his own assisted by Porter Jr.
Brooklyn came out firing, hitting its first five attempts from deep and building a 33-31 edge after one. The ball kept moving too, with the Nets piling up eight assists on 11 made field goals in the opening quarter.
Randle took over for a stretch in the second. He ripped off seven straight Brooklyn points with a three, a fast-break layup and a dunk after forcing a steal, flipping a 36-33 deficit into a 40-36 lead.
The Nets kept the pressure on from there with an 11-0 burst. Porter Jr. drilled another three, and Sharpe finished a dunk off a sharp pass from Egor Dëmin to make it 51-39.
Dëmin started at point guard and dished out five assists. Keon Ellis also got the start and knocked down a three in Brooklyn’s strong opening quarter.
Sharpe gave the Nets useful minutes inside, scoring on a pick-and-roll finish in the first quarter and adding another basket in the second while controlling the glass with seven rebounds.
Brooklyn kept spreading the minutes around in the second half. Chaney Johnson sparked the group with two dunks, Ben Saraf added a layup, and Terance Mann knocked down a three.
Traore made his presence felt after checking in midway through the third quarter. He scored on a floater, then added another floater plus the foul, and ended up with 10 points.
The third opened with a 9-0 Brooklyn run, and Charlotte never got close again. Mann hit another three later in the period, Noah Clowney added a fast-break layup, and Danny Wolf and Josh Minott connected on a nice sequence that helped push the Nets to a 92-72 lead entering the fourth.
The final quarter followed the same script. Saraf and Clowney both hit threes early, and Powell, Grant Nelson, Traore, Wolf and Tyler Bilodeau all got into the scoring column as Brooklyn kept piling it on.
Powell’s nine points stood out among the reserves, Wolf finished with eight, and Bilodeau scored five late, including a three-pointer.
Charlotte’s top scorer was Liam McNeeley with 14 points. Naz Reid and Grayson Allen each added 13.
Charlotte is back in action Sunday at 7 p.m. against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Nets and Hornets will meet again in the regular season on Wednesday, October 21, when Charlotte visits Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m.
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Michael Porter Jr. Already Gave Nets Fans A Wild Off-Court Story
Michael Porter Jr. has already given Nets fans something to chew on before he has played a meaningful minute in Brooklyn, and it had nothing to do with shot-making or lineup fit. In a recent recounting, Porter said he nearly got arrested in Mexico two years ago after cannabis was found in his backpack on a flight to Cabo San Lucas, a situation that was only defused after a phone call from someone connected to his team or agent.
For a Nets club trying to move past a rough season, Porter is also projecting plenty of optimism about what comes next. He said he and Julius Randle could help lead Brooklyn to more than 50 wins this year, a bold forecast for a team that needs more than confidence to change its direction. The off-court anecdote may grab the attention first, but the bigger question for Nets fans is whether Porter can back up the belief once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]