On the eve of his 26th birthday, Tyreese Martin spent another big-scoring night for the net.
The second-year security guard scored 17 points, shot 7-7 from the bench, and went 121-119 to the Warriors at Barclays Center on Thursday.
He also shot 50% over the arc and tried three 3-point attempts with two rebounds and one assist.
The performance was two games after Martin spent a 23-point night off the bench against the Pistons.
It was the third time he has scored more than 15 points in his last 10 appearances.
“Yeah, consistency. He's a true pro. I play him from the ball, he plays well. I play him with point guard, he does his best and he's getting better [Thursday],” coach Jordi Fernandez said after his defeat. “Defensively, he's on the point. He knows the press, he knows everything. He shows up, works every day with a good attitude, and he's a great teammate. That's what we want from everyone, but it's not that easy to do. He's consistently doing it, so he's all these good things that's coming to him, he's doing it, that's why he's coming in the way.”
Martin, who spent most of his career in the G League, played a bigger role within the team as Nets had a massive health bill in January.
He went in and out of the starting lineup, but it's a piece of consistent depth for the net.
Warrior on March 6th. Robert Sabo of the New York Post
In his last 10 matches, he averaged 9.1 points with 42% shooting in 20 minutes per contest.
The net shows Martin, the 51st pick of the 2022 draft, and UConn products, wanting to invest more.
They put an end to his two-way contract in February and signed him a multi-year deal.
“I'm just doing what Tyree is doing. Confidence. Cam Thomas spoke of Martin's performance. “I certainly need to do it on him. He's great with these last few games. I'm definitely proud of him. I definitely need it more, but he's just Tyler. Confidence. I'm ready to play. I'm always ready to play. I'm always ready to play, so I'm definitely proud of him for that.”
The Nets will head to Charlotte on Saturday. This will be like a must-see game for the tanking team if you want to make play-in.
The Hornets (14-47) ranked 14th in the East, losing all three previous games against the net.
Net is the three games behind the Bulls for the final play-in spot.
They are also tied sixth in the lottery with the 76ers, within one game of the No. 5 Raptors.
