Nets hold on to beat Hornets in NBA Cup play as Cam Johnson scores season-high 34 points

Cam Johnson usually is quick to the postgame podium after a great game. After Tuesday’s 116-115 win over the Hornets at Barclays Center, the Nets forward apologized for arriving over an hour after the final buzzer.

He could easily be forgiven. With Cam Thomas ruled out of the game with lower back tightness, Johnson delivered a season-high 34 points in the Nets’ first home NBA Cup game of the season.

Johnson shot 6-for-12 on three-pointers, tying a season-high in makes and attempts. It was his most points since joining the Nets in February 2023 and helped the Nets (6-9, 1-1 in group play) overcome a 17-point second quarter deficit, their largest of the season.

“Just playing in flow. Staying aggressive. Taking what the defense gives you and just doing whatever the team needs me to do,” Johnson said. “It’s good to see guys across the board contribute, hit shots.”

An unlikely contributor was Trendon Watford, who closed the win scoring the Nets’ final seven points. Watford, in his second game back from injury, had a three-point play with 1:10 left to push the Nets’ lead to five and added a short hook shot with 38.9 seconds left that made it 116-111.

The Nets survived Brandon Miller’s game-tying three-point attempt which fell short with 1.8 seconds left. Grant Williams quickly put back a quick layup but the Hornets (5-9, 0-2) ran out of time and the Nets snapped a three-game losing streak.

Watford was on an 18-minute restriction but played the final 7:15. With the Nets leading 109-108 with 2:00 left, he took advantage of mismatches and got to the rim on three consecutive possessions.

“Adrenaline was out the roof, honestly,” said Watford, who played 19 minutes. “I told Coach just let me rock. I’m good. I know I’m on minutes restriction but I feel good. I was just happy to be back out there.”

The game had a wild rhythm befitting the stakes of the second NBA in-season tournament. Both teams gave back double-digit leads, including the Hornets rallying from being down 11 in the third quarter.

The Nets rode their defense to storm back after trailing 44-27 the second quarter. They forced eight turnovers leading to 10 points and held the Hornets to just 22 points in the second quarter.

The Nets then went on a 20-4 run to open the third. It atoned for a dismal start where the Nets fell behind 17-5 and the Hornets made their first six shots, including five threes.

“We got punished for not starting the right way but then a lot of our guys bounced back and that’s a cool thing,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “NBA games are long, 48 minutes . . . and we were able to make that run in the second quarter. Then from there, it was a pretty good third quarter because we won the quarter and also we won the fourth.”

Six Nets scored in double figures, including Ben Simmons doing so for the first time this season. Simmons had 10 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals and showed more aggression than usual.

In the third, he dunked down the lane and glared at Miller afterward. A few possessions later, Simmons and Miller earned technical fouls after Miller shoved Simmons following a foul.

The passion was appreciated. The Nets looked out of sorts to start and missed Thomas, a late add to the injury report after shootaround. Fernandez said Thomas first felt the back tightness during the first half of Sunday’s loss to the Knicks and played through it.

Yet as they’ve done to start Fernandez’s tenure, the Nets responded with grit, defense and balance. They scored 24 points off 23 turnovers. Jalen Wilson, who started in Thomas’ place, had a career-high five three-pointers and a season-high 17 points.

Dennis Schroder added 14 points and 12 assists. Miller led the Hornets with 29 points.

Johnson continued his scoring binge with his sixth game of at least 20 points this season, tying his total from last season. He entered the game shooting 52.6% from the field and 44.2% on threes over his last seven games.

After struggling last season because of injuries, Johnson’s found his form right on time — even if he was late to talk about it Tuesday.

“It’s hard to just miss time and come back and just think everything’s going to work out,” Johnson said. “But no matter what challenges are thrown, I’m just going to keep playing my game and try to get some wins on the board for us.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.