This was the aggression Jordi Fernandes was looking for. What Ben Simmons lacked.
The Nets needed this for their offense to inch closer to its potential, especially with leading scorer Cam Thomas out of the lineup with a lower back strain.
Simmons checked in in the fourth quarter, stole the ball after Jalen Wilson blocked a shot, and made a basket.
Shake Milton then hit an alley-oop to Simmons on the Nets' next sequence.
The four-point advantage the Nets gained from these points was temporary. A 116-115 NBA Cup victory over the Hornets on Tuesday at Barclays Center wasn't decided until Brandon Miller's last-second hard hit.
But that was the end of Simmons' night of 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists, with his five baskets a season high.
“He was huge tonight,” Trendon Watford said.
Simmons entered the night averaging a career-low 5.3 points per game (far below his 16.9 points per game with the 76ers in 2018-19) and was relegated to the bench, with Nick Claxton missing the final three games. , Simmons started with an out. – Center of location.
Fernandez was encouraged by the physicality Simmons showed during a brief scuffle between the teams in the third quarter.
After Simmons forced Josh Green to tie the game while feigning a handoff and setting a screen, Miller shoved Simmons, causing a group of players to come in and see the coaches arrive before things got worse.
Simmons and Miller both received technical fouls.
Simmons already had six points at that point.
And with a basket late in the second half, he completed the type of game that Fernandez expected to repeat over and over again.
That's what the first-year head coach expected from the dual star he inherited.
“I think Ben was a huge contributor to this win,” Fernandez said. It's really great to see him play like this.”
Fernandez said the Hornets inbounded the ball with five seconds left and the Nets were about to foul up for three, but he trusted his players to make their decisions in the moment and felt they were comfortable. He said he would only commit a foul if he did so. ”
“At the end of the day, they have to own it,” Fernandez said. “They're the ones playing. I'm not there because when you're trying to foul, you give an and-one and then foul a 3-point shot, or you foul before the ball is inbounds. Because the players are nervous. They're like, “These are our rules.'' Do so only if you are comfortable with the situation. ” ”
Watford scored 10 points in 19 minutes in his second game back after missing the first 12 games of the season with a hamstring injury. …The Nets hosted the first game of this year's NBA Cup, and Fernandez said he's a fan of the format and the new Barclays Center court. … Dorian Finney-Smith (left ankle sprain) and Giare Williams (right hip strain) are available after receiving injury reports. … Wilson made his first start of the season in place of Thomas.
