Brooklyn Nets HC Jordi Fernández Addresses Largest Win of the Season

The Nets broke a five-game losing streak on Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jan 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez reacts to a play against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Jan 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez reacts to a play against the Utah Jazz during the fourth quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
In this story:

Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernández praised his team’s ball movement and pace as they snapped a five-game losing streak with a 132-114 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

“The ball has energy, and when we move the ball and we make the right pass and your teammate puts you in the right spot to finish or shoot the ball, it’s what basketball [should] be,” he said.

The Nets had 36 assists on 49 made field goals. Ben Simmons led the way with eleven assists, and D'Angelo Russell followed with nine. The latter was returning from a four-game absence due to a right shin contusion. Cam Johnson was also making a comeback, and he dropped a team-best 24 points.

“Having them there just helps everybody else,” Fernández said. “It helps me as a coach … It was good to have them back for sure, but also the experience that these other guys gain throughout these games is very important.” 

With Simmons in particular, Fernández highlighted how the Nets have been playing faster as of late. The Australian playmaker only scored five points, but he also added nine rebounds. That is an important element for Brooklyn to be able to increase their tempo. 

Fernández added: “This game probably has been our best game at running the floor. You wanna run after makes and after misses, but obviously, having Ben rebounding the ball well is important to be able to run. When you rebound is when your offense starts, and I think that’s what Ben brings to the table. His superpower is how fast he gets the ball to the other side of the ball and his throw-aheads pushing the ball ahead.” 

The Nets’ west coast road trip had been all losses until now, including an overtime defeat to the Utah Jazz in Brooklyn’s last game. Fernández mentioned then that his team had competed, but hadn’t maintained their focus for the entire 48 minutes of the contest. The Spanish head coach was pleased with the Nets’ turnaround against Portland.

“You’re still allowed to make mistakes, and we made mistakes — it was just more positive than negative,” he said. “That’s what’s important. Basketball is a game of mistakes. We cannot be discouraged by mistakes, and just keep trying to get positives.” 

Up next, the Nets face the LA Clippers (21-17) on Wednesday night. That marks the second leg of a back-to-back, so Simmons will not be available for the game in Inglewood. Brooklyn will stay in the Los Angeles area until Friday night, when the team wraps up its west coast slate against the Los Angeles Lakers.


Want to join the discussion? Like Nets on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Nets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.


Published
Wilko Martinez Cachero
WILKO MARTINEZ CACHERO

Wilko is a journalist and producer from Madrid, Spain. He is also the founder of FLOOR and CEILING on YouTube, focusing on the NBA Draft and youth basketball.