The Brooklyn Nets had an up-and-down performance against the Philadelphia 76ers in their third NBA Cup matchup on Friday night. At one point, Brooklyn trailed by double digits but battled back and took their own sizable lead, just to give it up again. Cam Johnson had another standout offensive day, but as a team, the Nets have two things they urgently need to fix after their 113-98 loss.
1. Turnovers took Nets out of the game
Brooklyn finished Friday's night contest with 19 turnovers. The 76ers amassed a whopping 13 steals and nine blocks against the Nets. Needless to say, Brooklyn needs to take better care of the ball. Dennis Schroder and Cam Thomas struggled to do so on Friday.
Thomas and Schroder totaled seven turnovers apiece, accounting for most of the team's woes. Both guards could not quite get things going offensively, which likely contributed to their ball mishandling.
Thomas scored 18 points and shot just 28.6 percent (2-for-7) on his three-pointers. Meanwhile, Schroder totaled eight points on just 25 percent from beyond the arc.
After the game, Thomas said that in addition to recovering from his back ailment, he is under the weather, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Hopefully, he can undergo a speedy recovery from all of his ailments, which leads to Brooklyn's next big point of emphasis.
2. Nets must continue to get healthy
Brooklyn has dealt with a hefty injury report over the past two weeks. Nic Claxton returned to the lineup against the 76ers for the first time since Nov. 13. He was battling a lower back strain, but his woes may not be completely over.
After Friday's game, Claxton told reporters that his back ailment would be a long-term issue he needs to manage. He revealed that he initially hurt this back during the summer, and it was a lingering problem. This is not the best news for the Nets, as Claxton is arguably the team's most important defender.
Nevertheless, Brooklyn's medical and training staff are likely doing all they can to help Claxton stay strong and maintain himself while he battles the injury. The Nets will also continue to monitor Cam Thomas and a few other players who have appeared on the injury list.
Da'yRon Sharpe has still not made his 2024-25 season debut, and Brooklyn could use his services, especially with Claxton's injury development. The Nets must do everything they can to stay healthy amid this crucial early part of the year.
Brooklyn's next game will be against the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 24.