Inside The Nets

Key takeaways from Brooklyn's close win over the Pistons

The Nets just notched their second-straight win over the Pistons, albeit it was a nail-biter.

Marin Gabric

© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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The Nets won their second straight game to get back to a .500 record by beating the Detroit Pistons 118-112. Brooklyn was playing against a desperate team that wanted to avoid setting the single-season record for a losing streak at 27 straight games.

There were some fantastic performances from the Nets, headlined by Cameron Johnson, who had 24 points. The big man duo of Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe were standouts with their work on the boards, with 11 rebounds apiece. With this amazing result, there were some key takeaways from the win.

The big men are doing an awesome job

Nic and Day'Ron were superb for coach Jacque Vaughn as they took good care of the paint. Not only did they grab 22 rebounds in total, but they also protected the rim well. They had seven blocks in total, with the veteran getting three while Sharpe swatted four.

The Nets center rotation has continued to impress with this kind of performance. They are doing this consistently because they can rely on their big men to produce.

Cam Johnson has stepped up as a scorer recently

In the last four games, Cam's been scoring an impressive 19.8 points per contest, making him one of our most reliable players. 

His recent standout performance saw him hitting nine of thirteen attempts, including a crucial three-pointer that pushed the score to 112-106. Shortly after, he set up Dorian Finney-Smith for a game-changing three from the right-hand corner.

Brooklyn's bench continues to be their biggest strength

Apart from Cam, Mikal, and the two big men, the bench was also a huge reason behind the victory. Finney-Smith played the entire fourth quarter as the coaching staff trusted him in the crucial moments.

Throughout the game, the bench stepped up as Sharpe, DFS, Dennis Smith Jr., and Royce O'Neale all had fingerprints all over this win. It was a superb result and wouldn't have been possible without them.

"We always say we're going to change the game. We don't know how long we're going to be out there, so we're a little desperate out there because we don't know how many minutes we're going to get. That helps us as well," Finney-Smith said after the game during an interview.

Now, Brooklyn moves on to a second night of a back-to-back by playing the behemoths of the Milwaukee Bucks. It will be a tough game, but this result should inspire them to perform at the highest level.

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Marin Gabric
MARIN GABRIC

Marin's love for writing developed in high school but was furthered in college when he took a number of creative writing courses. Doing sports writing felt like an extremely natural continuation, as it furthered his passions in both writing and basketball.  Marin loves the feeling of looking at stats after a game and analyzing what each team could've done better or what they excel in compared to the rest of the league. And the ability to do so for his favorite team, the Brooklyn Nets, is quite special in itself. 

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