The Brooklyn Nets played their third contest in July this evening, though in many ways, it felt like the true start of Summer. Mikel Brown Jr., Brooklyn’s sixth overall pick and highest drafted player since 2010, logged his first minutes in a Nets uniform tonight after sitting out the first two.
What Brown Jr.’s Summer League debut lacked in punctuality was quickly made up for in thrill. Two days after the fireworks over the East River had faded, he kept the “oohs” and “ahs” echoing throughout Brooklyn.
The Nets came out against Golden State with Dëmin handling the rock and Brown Jr. working off-ball. He assisted on Brooklyn’s first basket of the game nonetheless…
The first quarter highlights for the Louisville product didn’t stop there. A few moments later, Brown Jr. hit a buttery triple after Dëmin came up with a steal in the Golden State backcourt. A few sequences later, he found Chaney Johnson for his third dime of the opening period. Despite having not seen one since February, the kid looked more accustomed to the court than anyone.
But believe it or not, Brown Jr. wasn’t the only man out there for Brooklyn tonight. Johnson led all scorers in the first seven points while also registering two steals, two rebounds and a block. Bilodeau followed with six after splashing 2-4 threes. The Nets, however, trailed 28-24 entering the second, as the Warriors began the game shooting 6-13 from deep, leveraging the ball around Brooklyn’s aggressive ball pressure.
However, in the Summer League, margins are thin. Strengths can crumble into weaknesses in an instant.
Ben Saraf, who started the game 0-2 with two giveaways, led a defensive charge which did that for Brooklyn. He and the larger Net guards continued to get in Golden State’s grill, but sped up their rotations to kickstart a 12-0 run. Brown Jr., still posting a near even touch-to-highlight ratio, finished it with more help from Bilodeau…
That run eventually boiled into a 20-2 jolt for the Nets, positioning them to carry a 56-46 lead into halftime. There, Johnson led with 15 points on 7-9 shooting. Bilodeau followed with 12 while shooting 4-6 from three. Dëmin reached double figures as well with 10 points along with three assists. They also shot collectively 9-18 from three.
The third period offered little-to-no movement, as the Net lead continued to bob up and down around the 10-point mark. Both teams flashed their youth with a variety of offensive fouls that collectively slowed things down. However, the final frame saw the Nets sprint to the finish.
Brooklyn held Golden State scoreless in the period until the 7:38 mark. St. John’s product Aaron Scott pitched in a quick five points as the Nets were eager to convert their stops into fast break buckets at the other end. Johnson continued to leverage his physicality, rummaging his way to second half points as the Nets closed things out. He finished with
Saraf found his playmaking groove as well, methodically feeding Johnson and others for high-percentage looks once squeaking through the defense. By the end of it, he turned things around completely at the offensive end, finishing with 15 points and seven assists while shooting 6-12 from the field and 3-6 from deep. He was a team-high +28.
Bilodeau’s sixth three of the game (yes, six) gave the Nets their largest lead of the ball game with 1:49 to go, cementing his team’s second Summer victory. Bilodeau tallied 18 for the game after going 6-9 from deep. A strong second half from Dëmin saw him lead his team with 23 points while shooting 7-12 from the field and 2-7 from deep. He snuck the very last two in, just beating the clock and enduring foe gravity.
Dëmin also had eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three turnovers. Brown didn’t play beyond the 2:22 mark of the third. The Nets likely had him on a pitch count considering their previous decision to hold Brown out of their previous two games. He finished with 10 points, four assists, a rebound, and two turnovers while shooting 4-11 from the field and 2-5 from deep.
Next Up
This now concludes the California Classic for the Nets. The boys of summer, however, will keep playing. The Nets will next play the New York Knicks on July 10th in Las Vegas. The game will be streamable on ESPN. It tips off at 6:00 p.m. EST.
