AUSTIN, Texas — When the Nets needed a scorer, their best scorer wasn’t in the game.
It was just such a night for the Nets, who lost 122-115 in overtime to the Spurs on Sunday.
Cam Thomas was the team’s leading scorer on the night with a team-high 31 points and five assists. He was plus-6 in that game while all the other starters were minus-7 or worse.
But Thomas was on the bench when Cam Johnson missed a potential game-deciding 3-pointer with seconds left in overtime, which essentially iced the loss.
“You know, that’s a situation that we looked at and we had everyone there. Being in that situation, it wasn’t because of that one play, but it’s definitely going to go down again. That will be considered at a later date,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “But I love getting CT scans, so I’ll take them.”
With the Nets holding a 116-115 lead with 25.4 seconds left in overtime, O’Ree pulled away from Thomas and lined up with defensive stopper Dennis Smith Jr.
However, San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson (24 points) made a free layup to cut the Nets’ lead to three points.
Even when O’Ree called a timeout, Johnson replaced Smith on the final 3-point shot. Johnson had a clean look but missed.
Asked if there was any discussion as to why he would not participate, Thomas simply replied, “No.”
Asked if he was surprised he wasn’t on the floor during that crucial moment, he shrugged it off.
“So, I guess they thought that was the perfect lineup to get three points. So, you know, it was a good look. He just missed…” Thomas said.
“I mean, that’s the way it is. I mean, if he had been successful, we wouldn’t be here right now talking about whether or not we’d be in the game. But you know, it is what it is. You can’t take it back. You just move on to the next game.”
Dorian Finney-Smith likely played through a sore left ankle. He finished with eight points and seven boards on 4-of-9 shooting.
Victor Wembaneyama had 33 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 blocks for the Nets, and the Nets praised the rookie afterward.
“Well, he’s definitely a generational talent,” said Nick Claxton. “He’s just impacting the game in every way. Just protecting the rim, knocking down shots, coming off screens, doing things you never see players do. People love his height. You don’t even get to see it.”
