Nets must learn how to turn Cam Thomas' scoring brilliance into victories
Nets guard Cam Thomas, right, drives to the basket against Golden State forward Dario Saric during the second half of an NBA game in San Francisco on Saturday. Credit: AP/Jeff Chiu
SAN FRANCISCO — Saturday night’s loss to Golden State had the Nets playing a familiar song they hadn’t heard in more than a month.
Cam Thomas made pleasant music with 41 points, his first 40-point game since Nov. 6. But the rest of the Nets were a jumbled noise in their 124-120 loss.
“I had it going so I just wanted to keep the team in the game,” Thomas said. “That’s what was required for the game in the first half today.”
The Nets are 1-4 this season when Thomas scores at least 30 points. It’s a reminder of last season, when Thomas had four 40-point games and the Nets lost three of them.
The Nets and Thomas can’t keep wasting these games in which he’s lighting teams up. Unlike last season, he’s putting up numbers alongside Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson although he doesn’t have the main scoring burden.
“I just wasn’t able to help him. Just missing a lot of shots didn’t help him,” said Bridges, who had 18 points Saturday but shot 6-for-17.
Thomas’ plus/minus in his scoring binges has helped the Nets more than hurt. He was a minus-3 against Golden State, but that’s the first time in his five 30-point games that he’s had a negative plus/minus.
When he scored 45 points in a four-point loss to the Bucks on Nov. 6, Thomas was a plus-3. On Saturday, the Nets needed his scoring to offset a slow start and to show that Thomas had found his groove after a six-game shooting slump.
“I felt good. So my rhythm is coming back, getting there where I need to be,” he said. “So you know, I just want to keep it up and keep going.”
Thomas’ scoring keeps the Nets in games, and at his best, he’s efficient, as he was when he shot 15-for-24 Saturday.
But the Nets can’t let it go for naught. They lost Saturday because of poor defense and poor first-half play.
When they lost to the Bucks in Thomas’ 45-point game, it was because of two great defensive plays by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the final minute and a failure to capitalize on Damian Lillard’s 5-for-15 shooting night.
Part of that falls on Thomas. He’s trying to prove he’s more than just a gunner, but he has to do more. Golden State was willing to concede his shots while containing everyone else. More teams are doubling him, and Thomas tied his season high with five turnovers Saturday.
His recent slump was a good education on how to adjust to more pressure from opposing teams. It also will help him see how to be better within the Nets’ offense besides shooting.
Saturday’s loss reminded that while Thomas’ scoring is brilliant, it has been coupled with losses. Together, he and the Nets have to figure out how to change that.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
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