Noah Clowney Sets New Brooklyn Nets Record with Career-High Five Threes: ‘A Big Step in the Right Direction'

The 20-year-old became the youngest Brooklyn Nets player ever to make five threes in a game.

Nov 9, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) looks to shoot in the first quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Brooklyn Nets are now 5-6 after a road win against the New Orleans Pelicans prevented three consecutive losses for Jordi Fernández’s young squad.

A late, clutch stepback three from Cam Thomas gave the Nets a one-point lead with 33 seconds remaining on the clock. It was the most recent fourth quarter heroic from Brooklyn’s best scorer, who finished with 17 points — ten of which came in the last period — on an efficient 6-for-10 from the field and 4-for-5 from deep. 

Pelicans wing Brandon Ingram teed up Javonte Green with a good look from three to take the lead with four seconds to go in the game, but Green couldn’t convert. New Orleans was ice cold to end Monday night — with the Nets holding their opponents scoreless in the last 3:35. 

Thomas was the Nets' top scorer, but seven Brooklyn players scored in the double digits, which speaks to Jordi Fernández’s egalitarian offense. Among the standouts was Noah Clowney, with 15 points and a career-high 10 attempted 3-pointers.

Noah Clowney 5 THREES TONIGHT!

5-10 3PT
50 %

Noah finally had his first breakout shooting night. The Nets should keep him as a PF (floor spacer) this is where Noah flourishes. He is not a center. pic.twitter.com/Y5thTWif9L

— NetsKingdom 👑🗽 (@NetsKingdomAJ) November 12, 2024

“I know he’s a good shooter,” first-year head coach Fernández said in comments picked up by ClutchPoints. “When I get mad at the guys is when they stop shooting. And Noah, the one thing he’s done consistently is just continue to let it fly. That’s how it works. You cannot control if it’s gonna go in — you can control if you take the shot.”

Clowney made half of the threes he shot, making history at 20 years, 120 days old as he became the youngest player in Nets franchise history to drill five triples in a game. Fernández used the Alabama product in both frontcourt spots against the Pelicans. Clowney first checked into the game for Nic Claxton into a lineup that mostly featured Ben Simmons setting him up. 

“It don't take but one [three made] for me,” Clowney said after the game. “If I make one, it's going up. Even if I don't make none, it's still going up, so it don't really matter.”

Later, at the start of the fourth, Fernández used Clowney at the 4 with Claxton at the 5. Clowney's game against the Pelicans was his best performance of this campaign, but he now needs to build on it. 

“I felt like we done had a few games against really good teams where we played them down to the wire and then we don't close in the fourth,” Clowney said. “It was a big step in the right direction.”

The Nets’ big is still very young — but that is also the flip side, as there will likely be plenty of two-point, 1-for-3 nights like the one against Cleveland to go along with this 15-point outing versus New Orleans. Still, Clowney and the Nets closed out this road trip on a strong note, and will look to build momentum as they face the Boston Celtics at Barclays Center on Wednesday.

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