NETS INSIDER

  Bill Parcells once said, "you are what your record says you are." So while the Brooklyn Nets won three out of four during the preseason, a Maddenism comes to mind that rings true for this squad.  "Winning is the greatest deodorant".  Clearly, win/loss records are not an indicator of success in the preseason where starters play limited minutes while coaches have the opportunity to evaluate the roster top to bottom. The Nets had great contributions from Mikel Brown Jr., Egor Demin, Nolan Traore and a plethora of guys on an individual basis.  The most disconcerting trend of the preseason was Brooklyn's abysmal transition defense and lack of a paint and rim protector.  The Nets were among the lowest scoring offenses last season and are banking on the addition of Julius Randle and Brown Jr. to bolster that weak point.  Brooklyn has volume scorers, but they'll need to outscore teams this season if there's any hope of reaching or exceeding the .500 mark.  S...

  Behind Mikal Bridges' 38 points and a scorching hot 15 or 32 from downtown, the Nets won their second consecutive game.  Brooklyn is now two games behind Atlanta for the number 10 seed and the final play-in spot.  Cam Johnson went for 23 while Nick Claxton scored 12 points and ripped down 13 rebounds.  Without Cam Thomas and Ben Simmons in the lineup due to injuries, Brooklyn put on a show in front of the home crowd. The Nets season has been in turmoil, but with a softer schedule coming up and two wins under the belts against the Hawks, life has been breathed backed into this often. Listless nets squad.  Brooklyn hosts Memphis on Monday looking for its third straight win. 

  The Brooklyn Nets were in full control of the Los Angeles Clippers until they weren't.  After building a 18-point lead with seconds left in the third quarter, Brooklyn watched that advantage not not only evaporate, but eventually turned it into an 11-point Los Angeles win.  Mikal Bridges led the way with 26, Cam Thomas had 20, while James Harden paced the Clippers with 24 and 10, while Kawhi Leonard added 21. Ty Lue coached circles around Jacque Vaughn, who allowed the Clippers to stage a 22-0 run to end the game. It's inexplicable some of the lineup changes that Vaughn made as well as his lack of commanding the huddle and coordinating a semblance of an organized offense. The Nets have now squandered three winnable games over the last week-plus by losing to Portland, Miami and now the Los Angeles Clippers with a Thunder win preceding that stretch and Laker win on Friday night. Had the Nets made a few lineup adjustments and different play calls, but they may be riding a ...

Cam Thomas giveth and Cam Thomas taketh away. That was the story in Brooklyn as the 22-year old youngster showed just how promising he can be. But his inexperience showed in the worst way down the stretch. After Thomas hit a miraculous 4-point play inside of 20 seconds to narrow the Nuggets lead to 115-114, all hell broke loose.  Jamal Murray hit the front end of his free throws on the ensuing Denver possession, then he clanged the second attempt off the iron, but Thomas didn't block out the shooter and Murray snagged the rebound. The Nets waived goodbye to a potential game winning scenario as Thomas' mistake cost his team dearly.   Mikal Bridges had another rough night as he shot 7 of 16 for 14 points, but missed all three of his 3-point attempts. Thomas led the way with 23, but Brooklyn has now lost five straight and will welcome Detroit in for a back to back starting Saturday at Barclays. The Pistons are currently mired in a 25-game losing streak and are only three losses f...

  When you think of the Brooklyn Nets, you probably think of a gritty team full of selfless players who are overachieving through 20 games this year.  Led by Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas, the Nets have a fun, up-tempo style of play that makes heads turn and lights up the scoreboard. An overlooked factor for this Nets squad is the fact that it astonishingly leads the entire league in rebounds per game at 48. Just last season, the Nets ranked second-last at 40.5 per contest. It's a remarkable turnaround to go from virtually the worst rebounding team in the league to the best, but that's exactly what the Nets have done.  Led by big men Day'Ron Sharpe, Nic Claxton and veterans Dennis Smith Jr., Spencer Dinwiddie and Cam Johnson, Brooklyn is attacking the boards with ferocity.  Much of it has to do with an organizational philosophical change from a 1 through 5 switching defensive scheme last year, to a drop defense with hints of matchup zone sprinkled in.  The person...