Inside The Nets

Timme Shines as Nets Get Thumped by Clippers Again

Brooklyn has now dropped six straight.

Kyler Fox

Mar 28, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Tyrese Martin (13) and center Nic Claxton (33) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Mar 28, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guard Tyrese Martin (13) and center Nic Claxton (33) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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Facing the threat of dropping their sixth straight, the Brooklyn Nets welcomed the LA Clippers to the Barclays Center in hopes of avenging their most lopsided loss in franchise history over two months prior. In an attempt to regain some pride while still maintaining its current draft lottery odds, Brooklyn fell 132-100.

Keon Johnson led the Nets with 13 points and two steals in the latest blunder.

Despite its recent struggles, Brooklyn looked unrecognizable early on. Outside of some suspect guarding on Ivica Zubac—who finished the inaugural frame with 10 points on a perfect-4-of-4 from the field—the defense was visibly improved. The uptick in effort, compounded with a scorching 46.2% three-point percentage, helped Jordi Fernandez's group appear much more competitive than its prior meeting with the Clippers.

The first quarter also brought the NBA debut of Drew Timme—the former Gonzaga star who agreed to a two-year deal with the Nets on Friday—in relief of the injured Day'Ron Sharpe. Sans Sharpe, Timme was tabbed as Nic Claxton's backup and instantly provided high energy, especially on the offensive glass.

Despite Zubac's 10 and Kawhi Leonard's eight-point contribution, Brooklyn finished the first quarter up 27-26. The opening 12 minutes were tightly contested, a theme which carried on until late in the second.

As Leonard took control, LA blew the game wide open. On his way to a 25-point first half, the two-time NBA Finals MVP led the Clippers offense to a 9-0 run as Norman Powell started to get more involved. Meanwhile, the Nets' red-hot stroke from deep finally cooled off, forcing Fernandez into a timeout, hoping to prevent a similar storyline to that of Jan. 15.

Fernandez's call for a break in the action occurred with just over three minutes to play in the first half, but Brooklyn was unfortunately outscored 14 to 4 over the final 180 seconds, resulting in a 68-48 deficit at the break.

LA started the third quarter on a 21-6 run—pushing their lead to 30 behind Powell's unmatched ability to heat up out of nowhere—signaling an early end to the out-of-conference tilt. Whether it was a Powell catch-and-shoot, Zubac dunk down low, or Leonard steal and slam, the Clippers imposed their will, leaving the Nets looking nothing like they did early on.

However, LA's runaway performance did present Brooklyn with one positive: Fernandez had the opportunity to give some of the younger guys more experience. Timme logged 11 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes, Tosan Evbuomwan made his first appearance since Feb. 26 and Dariq Whitehead continued to carve out a true role for himself after spending most of this season in the G League.

After allowing the Clippers to shoot over 70% from the field in the third quarter, the Nets' margin had ballooned to 36, reminding fans in attendance of the horrors the visitors caused back in Southern California.

While not as ugly as the 59-point loss to LA, Brooklyn still completely unraveled by the hands of Leonard and company. Now having dropped both games of the season series, the Nets must wait until next season to avenge back-to-back beatings from one of the Western Conference's top squads.

In a quick turnaround, Brooklyn heads to our nation's capital for a 7 p.m. EST matchup with the Washington Wizards tomorrow night. The Wizards have claimed both prior meetings this season, giving the Nets one final shot at preventing the series sweep against a team that presently owns the worst record leaguewide.

To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Clippers, click here.

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Kyler Fox
KYLER FOX

Kyler is a staff writer for Brooklyn Nets on SI, where he covers all things related to the team. He is also the managing editor of The Torch, St. John's University's independent student-run newspaper.

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