Donovan Mitchell stole the show in the NBA's Paris Game 2024 with 45 points, 12 rebounds and six assists as the Cavaliers cruised to a 111-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
Once again, the Nets were lackluster offensively with careless turnovers, poor shot selection and lack of ball movement among their many problems.
Mikal Bridges tallied 26 points, Cam Thomas 26 and Lonnie Walker IV 20. The Nets surrendered 43 free throw attempts to Cleveland and provided little resistance on the defensive side of the ball.
Former Nets Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen tallied 21 and 12 points, respectively. The Nets had a fun trip overseas in an international showcase via social media, but chock up another one in the loss column.
With Paris Fashion Week around the corner, no player was happier to up his Instagram game than Simmons.
Simmons told reporters this week that he was 'close' to returning but when pressed on when he replied simply with: 'no timetable.'
Simmons' agent, Bernard Lee, detailed his client's ongoing progress and recovery from this back ailment and while offering a reason for optimism, fans are skeptical of the Nets' point guard's prospect of returning healthy.
Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics and while Simmons plans to play with Team Australia, Nets fans are hoping that's not the next time you'll see him fully healthy on the basketball court.
As for the Nets, the head scratching rotations from Jacque Vaughn continued as he waited until the team was buried by 20-plus points early to insert Thomas and Walker IV into the lineup.
The Nets are in a world of trouble with a tough schedule ahead ready to bury the already 16-22 struggling club.
It's clear that the Nets should look to sell off any win-now assets unless Sean Marks can pull a rabbit out of a hat and acquire a game-changing talent like Dejounte Murray to give Brooklyn a much needed shot in the arm.
The Nets travel to Miami on January 15 to play the Heat.
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