Nets get Cam Thomas back as bench dominates Timberwolves
Cam Thomas returned to a Nets team that no longer needed saving. His job was harder than that: to adapt and lift him. He did just that Saturday night, scoring 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting with three rebounds and four assists in just 20 minutes coming off the bench as Brooklyn pulled away for a 123-107 road victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The win pushed the Nets to 10-19 and 7-3 over their last 10 games, a remarkable change for a team that opened the season 0-7. If Thomas continues to assume the role of super sixth man, if it persists, and the Nets’ young core continues to grow, Brooklyn could become more than just a rebuilding team finding its way.
Minnesota got Anthony Edwards back after missing the previous meeting in Brooklyn, a 125-109 Timberwolves victory on November 3, and Brooklyn had Thomas back for the first time since November 5. The result was a physical and nervy opening sequence that reflected both teams feeling each other out.
Thomas’ night officially began with 5:40 left in the first quarter and the score was tied at 15. He was the first Net off the bench, but the timing wasn’t kind. Minnesota immediately went on a 7-0 run, forcing the 24-year-old to find his feet in real time.
It didn’t take long.
Thomas’ first basket in nearly eight weeks came not on a pull-up or isolation set, but on a hard cut to the rim. Day’Ron Sharpe found him in stride and Thomas absorbed the contact to complete the layup and free throw, cutting the deficit to four with 3:21 left in the quarter. It was a simple, but revealing piece. Thomas didn’t force the moment. He let it come to him.
With Thomas, Nolan Traore and Danny Wolf leading the second unit, the Nets’ rhythm changed in the final minutes of the period. The ball moved faster. The ground opened up. And Thomas continued to attack downhill. He got back in touch. There again. By the end of the quarter, he was already three plays to one, scoring nine points in his first six minutes back.
This explosion knocked over the coin. Brooklyn closed the period with energy and determination, turning an early Minnesota surge into a 33-30 Nets lead early in the second.
And the Nets bench kept rolling. Sharpe and Drake Powell opened the quarter with a pair of buckets, setting the tone before Thomas connected on his first 3-pointer of the night to cap his efficient start. Moments later, Noah Clowney stepped up for a dunk in transition that pushed Brooklyn’s lead to nine with 8:42 left in the half, extending a stretch where the Nets dictated both the pace and energy of the game.
But the momentum did not hold. Brooklyn’s starters stumbled late in the half and the Timberwolves closed on an 11–4 run to take a 63–62 lead into the break. The Nets still had something to please. They shot 59.1 percent in the first half, committed just seven turnovers, dominated the paint 46-28 and got 29 points off the bench, including 12 from Thomas. The gap came from beyond the arc, where Brooklyn made just 3 of 16 while Minnesota knocked down nine of its 16 attempts.
Michael Porter Jr. had nine points at halftime but quickly heated up after the break, scoring an and-one to make it 18 and cut Brooklyn’s lead to nine with 7:52 left in the third. When Thomas returned with 6:17 to play and the Nets led by six, he took over, scoring 12 straight points as the bench sparked a 13-6 run that kept Brooklyn ahead by 12 heading into the final quarter.
The margin never fell below nine over the entire period. Brooklyn’s bench dominated 62-33, without Ziaire Williams or Tyrese Martin in the rotation.
The Nets have won three in a row for the first time this season and will look to continue that momentum on Monday when the Golden State Warriors visit Barclays Center.
