The Nets have now won 7 of their last 10 games following an impressive performance in Minneapolis.
The Brooklyn Nets hit the road on Saturday night for a matchup in the Twin Cities with the Minnesota Timberwolves . The Nets entered the night on a two-game winning streak, looking to win three consecutive games for the first time all season.
They did just that in very impressive fashion, dominating the second half and beating the Timberwolves 123-107.For the first time in almost two months, Cam Thomas was in the lineup for the Nets. One of the best pure scorers in the NBA, Thomas didn't wait long to make an immediate impact in his return. He poured in 12 first-half points in eight minutes off the bench. Thomas would finish the night with a team-leading 30 points in just 20 minutes. This was Thomas' first game since November 6, when he left a win over the Pacers after only six minutes with a hamstring injury. While his absence allowed Brooklyn to get some of its rookies more playing time, it's still clear how important he is to this team. Thomas provides Jordi Fernandez with another consistent scoring option, alongside Michael Porter Jr., which is huge. His minutes and usage should increase as he gets back into a rhythm.Brooklyn trailed by one coming out of the locker room, but their fortunes changed quickly with a dominant third quarter. The Nets outscored the Wolves 36-23 in the third, firing on all cylinders offensively and stuffing out any Minnesota runs defensively. Thomas continued his big scoring night, and Porter Jr. found his rhythm in the quarter. Third quarters were a big struggle for the Nets early in the season, but things have been much better in that regard recently. Brooklyn has been taking it to teams to begin the second half, erasing halftime deficits or building on leads. It's a really impressive turnaround in that regard for Fernandez's bunch, and the entire roster deserves credit for buying in.The Brooklyn Nets may be a good basketball team. If you had told anyone that after the Nets started this season 3-16, they would have called you crazy, but Brooklyn is quietly 7-3 over their last ten games. They have some impressive wins as well, beating three playoff teams in a row this last week. The defense has gotten leaps and bounds better, the rookies are giving huge minutes, and Porter Jr. has been playing like an All-Star. Things could've easily collapsed for this team after a brutal start, but everyone in the room has rallied to ensure that didn't happen. And with Thomas back in the fold, it's not unfair to expect the Nets to keep up their high level of play. While the playoffs and play-in tournament are still far-fetched, don't undersell the importance of a young team seeing some early success. This has been an unbelievable turnaround for this team.Zach is a recent college graduate covering the Brooklyn Nets for On SI. He also covers the University of Iowa athletics for HawkeyesWire and co-hosts a show on Iowa at the Voice of College Football.
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