The Brooklyn Nets finally got what they’d been chasing, and Nolan Traore was at the center of it.
Facing a shorthanded Indiana Pacers team on Sunday, Brooklyn dug itself out of a rough first half and rode Traore’s second-half burst to a 98-90 win, the club’s first of the season. The sophomore point guard scored 14 of his points after halftime, knocked down four threes and finished with six assists against just one turnover.
Brooklyn’s offense looked stuck early. The Nets managed only 43 points in the first half while shooting 15-of-39 from the field, and nothing about the opening stretch suggested a breakthrough was coming. Then Traore started finding space, the ball started moving, and the game flipped.
“The difference was just us moving the ball well and trying to find the best shot every time, and also being consistent on defense. That's the main thing,” Traore said.
“I think [the difference for me] was just like great spacing. I know that they want to double Julius [Randle], so we take advantage of this.
And we made shots also. We did a great job.
I'm happy and proud of my teammates.”
Traore has been one of the brighter young pieces in Brooklyn’s early-season mix, and the organization clearly sees him that way. General Manager Sean Marks has said he is “looking for the next Nets.” Traore is part of that group, along with Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr.
The 20-year-old has looked stronger after adding noticeable muscle this offseason, and his recent numbers back that up. Over his last four games, he’s averaged 14.3 points on .467/.389/.727 shooting splits, along with 4.0 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game. He has started the Nets’ last three contests.
Brooklyn was also without Demin, who was out with a right leg contusion, and Brown, who missed the game for back injury management.
Michael Porter Jr. gave the Nets a major lift too, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Julius Randle added 20 points, five rebounds and six assists. The two combined to shoot 12-of-31 and committed eight turnovers, but Brooklyn still found enough late to close the door.
“It wasn’t a pretty win, but it’s a win regardless. We got that zero out of that column, so we’re really happy about that,” Porter said.
“If you’re going to be a good team, eventually you’ve got to learn how to win games like this. Neither team shot the ball well.
Neither team cracked 100 points. That’s the type of games we want to win.
It was good resilience. Sometimes, we let bad offense dictate our defense, and [Sunday,] we just kept going, grinding it out.”
The numbers reflected the slog. Brooklyn shot 30-of-73 overall and 13-of-39 from three, while finishing with 21 assists and 15 turnovers.
Indiana wasn’t much sharper, going 28-of-70 from the floor with 21 assists and 14 turnovers as it struggled to find rhythm without Tyrese Haliburton, Ivica Zubac, T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin.
One of the biggest reasons the Nets were able to pull it out was Day'Ron Sharpe. With Zubac sidelined, Sharpe turned in his best game of the season after a slow start, posting 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists on 5-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes.
“[Day'Ron was] unbelievable,” said head coach Jordi Fernandez. “He was big on the boards.
He did a little bit of everything. He made his [only] three.
He set screens. I'm very happy for him.
We don't win this game without him. And the reality is how much he cares about winning and impacting winning.
And this game… I think that [stat] line is impressive. So all his energy and willingness to do the right things paid off.”
Moe Wagner also chipped in off the bench, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting in 21 minutes.
Brooklyn’s next chance comes Monday, when it heads to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks.
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