The Brooklyn Nets pulled off a thrilling 107-105 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night after the heroics of Cam Thomas. Thomas made a clutch three-pointer that gave the Nets a lead New Orleans could not recover from. However, Thomas' play was nearly negated by Jordi Fernandez.
The Nets trailed the Pelicans 103-105 with just under 40 seconds left in the game. Thomas handled the ball for Brooklyn and drove to the left side of the floor before he stepped back from a deep-range shot over the outstretched arms of Javonte Green:
Cam Thomas is cold-blooded. pic.twitter.com/vBgG3ZvYdw
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 12, 2024
Thankfully, the shot went in, because as announcers commented, the officials missed Jordi Fernandez trying to call a timeout during the later stages of the play. Fernandez provided insight into the moment during Brooklyn's postgame media availability:
“I told the guys if it gets to 37 [seconds] and we're unorganized, I'm gonna call it. And I saw ourselves unorganized, I was calling it, but then CT he did what he does, [hits the] stepback three. Thanked the basketball gods because I was really calling timeout," Fernandez said, per Erik Slater of ClutchPoints.
Fernandez drew upon a similar situation Brooklyn found themselves in against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 9. There were 46 seconds left, and Fernadez let the Nets play things out, but the momentum resulted in a broken play. Thus, he did not want the same thing to happen down the street against the Pelicans. But fortunately, things worked out.
Thomas continues to grow into the ultimate closer
Cam Thomas' growth with the Nets has been impressive. Through his first six games of the season, he gave the Nets a clutch stat advantage the rest of the NBA didn't have.
Thomas led the league in the fourth quarter scoring over names like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic. He remains high on the list 11 games in, sitting in second place with 8.9 points per fourth behind Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball.
Monday night's Pelicans showing was just another example of the late-game value Thomas provides the Nets. He ended the matchup with a team-high 17 points along with seven rebounds. Thomas is already showing his growth in a crucial aspect of his development early on in the season by being a trusted shot-maker at the end of games.
As exciting as it was to watch him on Monday night, there are likely more thrilling shots to come from Thomas as the 2024-25 season progresses.
The Nets improved their record to 5-6 with their win over New Orleans, which places them fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. After a rematch with the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Brooklyn will play its first NBA Cup game against the New York Knicks on Nov. 15.