AUSTIN, Texas — When the Nets desperately needed a scorer, their best scorer wasn’t in the game.
That’s the kind of night it was for the Nets in a 122-115 overtime loss to the Spurs on Sunday.
Cam Thomas — their top scorer entering the evening — poured in a team-high 31 points to go with five assists. He was a plus-6 in the game, while every other starter was a minus-7 or worse.
But Thomas was on the bench when Cam Johnson missed a potential game-tying 3-point attempt in the waning seconds of overtime that essentially iced the defeat.
“You know, that’s a situation where we looked at and just having all the guys out there. That one play didn’t cause that, being in that situation, but that’s definitely something that we’ll look at in going down the stretch again,” interim coach Kevin Ollie said. “But love to have CT in there and I’ll take that one.”
Ollie had pulled Thomas with the Nets trailing 116-115 with 25.4 seconds left in overtime, going with defensive stopper Dennis Smith Jr.
But San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson (24 points) got free for a layup to make the Nets’ deficit three.
Even when Ollie called a timeout, he subbed in Johnson for Smith on the final 3-point attempt. Johnson got a clean look but missed.
Asked if there was any type of discussion why he wasn’t in, Thomas replied simply, “No.”
When asked if he was surprised not to be on the floor in that pivotal moment, he shrugged it off.
“I mean, I guess they thought that was the best lineup to get a 3 off. So, you know, it was a good look. He just missed it…” Thomas said.
“I mean, it is what it is. I mean if he made it, we wouldn’t be here right now talking about if I was in the game or not. But you know, it is what it is. You can’t get it back; you just gotta move on to the next game.”
Dorian Finney-Smith played after being probable with left ankle soreness. He had eight points and seven boards on 4-for-9 shooting.
Victor Wembanyama torched the Nets for 33 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks, and they were full of praise afterward for the rookie.
“Man, he’s a generational talent for sure,” Nic Claxton said. “Just affecting the game in every facet: Protecting the rim, knocking down shots, coming off screens, just doing things that you never see from a guy. You don’t even see people his height really.”
