Mikel Brown Jr., Danny Wolf give Nets new life in comeback win over Hornets
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK — Mikel Brown Jr. created just enough space against Moussa Diabaté, stepped back beyond the arc and buried a 26-foot 3 late in the first quarter Wednesday.
Later, the rookie drove the baseline and found a cutting Moritz Wagner for a dunk. On another possession, he drew the defense toward him and located Noah Clowney for an open triple.
Visit rocore.sbs for more information.
For a Nets offense that has spent too much of the season looking uncertain about its next move, Brown seemed perfectly comfortable deciding for himself.
The rookie wasn’t the only young Net with something to offer.
Brown delivered a career-high 18 points, second-year forward Danny Wolf made the most of his first meaningful rotation opportunity of the season, and Brooklyn rallied past the Charlotte Hornets, 114-104, at Barclays Center for its first home victory.
The Nets improved to 2-6, earning their second win in three games after opening the season with five straight losses. More encouraging than the result was how they got there.
Julius Randle and Michael Porter Jr. provided the scoring expected of them. But Brown and Wolf gave Brooklyn offensive options it hasn’t consistently enjoyed through the first eight games.
Brown finished 6 for 11 from the field and 3 for 5 from deep, adding four assists in just 19 minutes. His confidence was apparent almost immediately. Whether creating separation for his jumper or attacking the paint and finding an open teammate, he played with a freedom that has been missing from Brooklyn’s offense.
The performance wasn’t spotless. Brown committed four turnovers, including two in the fourth quarter. Head coach Jordi Fernández replaced him with veteran Terance Mann after one mistake led to a Charlotte transition basket.
There is still a difference between creating an advantage and knowing when to protect it. Brown is learning the latter. Wednesday offered considerable evidence of his ability to do the former.
Wolf’s contribution was even more unexpected.
With Brooklyn trailing by nine early in the third quarter, Fernández turned to Wolf just 1:28 into the period after a difficult opening stint from Chaney Johnson. The rookie big man, who barely figured into the rotation, immediately gave the Nets another shooter, passer and capable ballhandler.
Brooklyn responded with an 11-0 run, taking a 61-59 lead. Wolf knocked down a 3 during the surge, helping change the complexion of a game Charlotte had largely controlled. He finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes.
Brooklyn outscored Charlotte by 17 points while Wolf was on the floor. His most memorable contribution didn’t require a jumper.
With the Nets protecting their fourth-quarter lead, Day’Ron Sharpe rejected Grayson Allen at the rim. Wolf secured the rebound, raced the length of the floor and finished through contact for an and-one that helped push Brooklyn’s advantage to double digits.
It was an impressive display of what makes Wolf unusual for a player his size. He doesn’t have Johnson’s defensive versatility, but he can handle the ball in the open floor, initiate offense and stretch opposing defenses. That combination gave Brooklyn a noticeably different look.
Sharpe, meanwhile, recorded a career-high eight assists and two blocks despite picking up two fouls in the opening 1:51. The first half had offered little indication that Brooklyn was headed toward such a productive night.
Charlotte led 57-50 at halftime, with Allen scoring 20 of his 22 points before the break. The Nets struggled with the Hornets’ ball movement, surrendered nine offensive rebounds without collecting one themselves and even endured an almost comical sequence involving Wagner.
After being whistled for a foul in the first quarter, Wagner signaled toward the bench for a challenge. The officials reviewed the play and upgraded the foul to a flagrant-one.
Things looked considerably different after halftime.
Porter erupted for three consecutive 3s in the fourth quarter, turning a tight game into Brooklyn’s largest lead of the night at that point. He finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Randle added 22 points and four assists.
Nolan Traoré contributed 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting and three steals, providing steady play in the closing minutes after Brown returned to the bench.
Brooklyn shot 50.6% from the field, made 14 triples and recorded 25 assists on 40 baskets. The Nets outscored Charlotte 64-47 after halftime, including 34-24 in the fourth quarter.
That final period was especially significant. Two days earlier, Brooklyn managed just 11 fourth-quarter points in a 103-90 loss to the Knicks, a collapse that prompted Fernández to question his team’s offensive organization and ability to make decisions without constant instruction.
Against Charlotte, the ball moved, different players initiated the offense and the Nets kept scoring instead of waiting for the game to slip away.
The victory also gives Fernández some decisions to make.
Johnson played nine minutes, Keon Ellis played 10 and Clowney left in the third quarter because of right knee soreness. All three offer different strengths, particularly defensively. Wolf and Mann, however, demonstrated the value of having more offensive versatility available.
The Nets open a four-game road trip Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. One performance won’t settle the rotation, but Brown and Wolf have given Fernández plenty to consider.