Entering the 2024-25 season, the Brooklyn Nets had no expectations from outsiders to come anywhere near fielding a playoff team. Right before the regular season began, the Nets over/under win total sat at 19.5 according to DraftKings Sportsbook. That was the least in the NBA, one less than the Washington Wizards (who have currently lost 13 in a row).
Through 19 games, Brooklyn has certainly exceeded the expectations placed on them coming into the season. They are 9-10 which ties them for the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference. It has been a collective effort that has them playing well of late winning three-straight, all on the road. The Nets just finished a four-game road trip, and each of those away games saw a different player step up on the offensive end.
Nets Road Trip Sees Different 30-Point Scorer Each Night
Nets Upset Suns In Last Date Of Their Road Trip
The Nets went 3-1 on their road trip that ended on Wednesday. They won their last three though, with all three coming against teams from the Western Conference. Wednesday night saw Brooklyn defeat the Phoenix Suns 127-117. That was against a Phoenix team that was 9-1 with Kevin Durant in the lineup prior to their loss to Brooklyn. Meanwhile, the Nets were without numerous key pieces including Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton, Jalen Wilson, and Noah Clowney.
The Nets were led by Tyrese Martin’s 30 points off the bench in 28 minutes. Selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, the 25-year-old Martin entered Wednesday appearing in just 21 games in his career with just 33 points to his name. He nearly doubled that career total in just one game.
The Nets were able to have a 30-point scorer in each outing of the four-game road trip. It was four different players that did so. On Monday, they defeated the Golden State Warriors and were led by Dennis Schroder’s 31 points. Cam Thomas dropped 34 in their win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. While they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday, Cameron Johnson’s 37 was just one shy of matching his career-high scoring total.
According to OptaSTATS, the Nets became the first team in NBA history to have a different 30-point scorer during a road trip of at least four games.
On their 4-game road trip, the @BrooklynNets got 30-point games from:
Cameron Johnson (Fri)
Cam Thomas (Sun)
Dennis Schröder (Mon)
Tyrese Martin (Wed)They're the first team in NBA history to have a 4+ game road trip where they had a different 30-point scorer in every game. pic.twitter.com/4hYfaONnhy
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) November 28, 2024
Brooklyn Is Heading Back Home
The Nets now head back to the Barclays Center for back-to-back contests with the Orlando Magic. The first is an NBA Cup matchup on Friday before the two teams meet again in Brooklyn on Sunday. At 1-2, the Nets aren’t likely to advance to the knockout round of the NBA Cup, but they could play spoiler as Orlando is 2-0.
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has his team ready to battle each and every night. Especially in recent games against Phoenix and Golden State, they look completely overmatched on paper. Brooklyn still has found a way to win.
A hamstring injury suffered by Thomas on Monday is expected to sideline the Nets leading scorer for 3-4 weeks. While Brooklyn will miss his production, the road trip proved that they have multiple players capable of stepping up on any given night. Heck, even Ben Simmons scored a season-high 14 points on Wednesday.
