[ad_1]
LOS ANGELES – Almost every star resisted the opening of the Nets-Lakers preseason, giving others the chance to shine.
Cam Thomas did not lose the opportunity.
With the Nets’ Big 3 all out – along with LA’s LeBron James and Russell Westbrook – Thomas was either team’s top scorer in his first NBA game. It triggered the Nets to a 123-97 rout of the Lakers before 16,000 at Staples Center.
Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving all watched from the bench in stretchy clothing, as did veterans Blake Griffin, Joe Harris, Patty Mills and James Johnson. The Lakers also managed the minutes of superstar Anthony Davis.
Still, with Nets owner Joe Tsai sitting next to the field in front of their bench, he had a lot to smile about, starting with Thomas’ 21 points, the game-high. With less than two weeks to his 20th birthday, the rookie finished 7 of 14 from the floor and 6 of 7 from the free throw line.
“Cam can score. We know he’s a guy who can hit his mark and hit. He did some [Sunday]Head Coach Steve Nash said of Thomas, who succeeded with Wayne Ellington, known as a strong defenseman.
“Cam is a goalscorer. He can score. … He has a lot to learn and a lot of growth to do, but he starts with a lot of ability. I’m not surprised. He has this type of talent and game to keep developing and teaching him and leveling him with the NBA game.
Bruce Brown’s energy and float were both in midseason form, but he also added range. He scored two quick 3-pointers, showing that his offseason work with player development assistant Kyle Korver could pay early dividends as he finished with 12 points and 2 of 2 in depth.
LaMarcus Aldridge – who retired after detecting an irregular heartbeat in the April 10 loss to those same Lakers at Barclays Center – watched Sunday’s return to court as if he never left. And Paul Millsap (10 points, 10 rebounds) made a double-double halfway through the third quarter.
The duo started out together on a large pitch before, but the 36-year-old have long resumes and proven track records. There’s little they can show off in a preseason opener. Thomas, on the other hand, had a promising start.
The teenager had been both the co-MVP and top scorer in the Las Vegas Summer League, but it was against draft picks, sophomore pros and undrafted prospects. In his first action against seasoned pros – even in preseason – he quickly settled in after two chaotic first possessions to let his natural scoring ability prevail.
“To score is to score. I don’t know why people always think things can’t be translated. To mark is to mark. If you can score, you can score. It doesn’t matter who you play against, ”said Thomas, who learned scoring tricks from Irving and Harden.
“Me and Kyrie talked a lot, talked about little things. So I try to take as much from him as possible because that can help me in the long run.
Thomas has shown an ability to shoot on contact and to shoot fouls, a la Harden.
“They were giving me the midrange, so I had a lot of midrange pull-ups and float play,” Thomas said. “They were dropping the midrange, so stick with what the defense gives you.”
The Nets took a 13-3 lead after a bucket from Aldridge. It was 25-19 after one, behind Brown’s 10 points.
They led 57-49 at the break, behind Thomas’ 12, then paved the way for a blowout in the fourth quarter by opening the period with an extended 28-2 streak.
Day’Ron Sharpe, the Nets’ other first-round pick, helped. He had only played two minutes in the third quarter when he mingled with Lakers center Dwight Howard, not once but twice.
Howard received a flagrant and technique after hitting Sharpe in the face with an elbow. The veteran walked away with 11 points, six rebounds, six fouls.
While Sharpe had a solid outing (13 points, six boards), Nic Claxton struggled. He fouled with three points and one of four shots in 13 minutes.
[ad_2]
Source link