Nets forward Tosan Evbuomwan scores career-high 22 points in overtime loss to Utah

Despite doing everything it takes to lose Sunday, the Utah Jazz narrowly escaped Brooklyn, 112-111, on an overtime game-winner from rookie guard Isaiah Collier.

Tosan Evbuomwan, who signed a two-way contract with the Nets on Jan. 1, posted a career-high 22 points off the bench – including a pair of go-ahead free throws with six seconds remaining – to lead Brooklyn in the road loss. Efforts by the 23-year-old were unrewarded, nonetheless.

Collier responded to Evbuomwan's charity attempts by finishing his 23-point, game-high performance with a miraculous driving layup off a lost dribble to ice the Nets, handing this tank-off to Brooklyn in the process.

Nets center Nic Claxton notably blew two game-changing baskets in closing moments, one off an alley-oop with four seconds to go in regulation and another on a forgettable drive with just 36 seconds left in overtime. Not to be overlooked due to its positive tank impact, especially for a player once regarded as one of the league’s better rim-finishers at his position.

Fun fact: the Jazz and Nets hadn’t squared off in overtime since 2003, in a contest where NBA legends Jason Kidd and John Stockton served as leading scorers.

Evbuomwan went 7-of-8 from the field, adding five rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes for the short-handed Nets (without yet being acclimated to the team’s schemes), likely solidifying that head coach Jordi Fernandez will be forced to feature the former Princeton standout and Ivy League Player of the Year more as he settles in throughout the current West Coast road trip.

In four seasons with Princeton, Evbuomwan twice earned First-team All-Ivy League honors before declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft. He joined the G League's Motor City Cruise after going undrafted and later earned 10-day contracts with the Grizzlies and Pistons in early 2024. Evbuomwan landed back in the G League with the San Diego Clippers last October, ultimately leading him to the Borough this year. 

"He's always under control," Fernandez said. "Looks like a guy that has been there before, and he's 23. With the experience he has, I'm very happy to see him [play], keep working with him, keep developing him. He's doing his job, and that's what we're asking."

Two-way players have brought pleasant surprises to the Nets beyond just Evbuomwan, too, as fellow forward Tyrese Martin displayed his on-ball creativity while recording 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, one steal and a block during his 35 minutes off the bench against Utah. 

Brooklyn rides a five-game losing streak at 13-26 overall, currently holding the sixth-best odds (9%) to win the 2025 No. 1 overall pick behind the Jazz (10.5%), Hornets (12.5%), Raptors (14%), Pelicans (14%) and Wizards (14%). The Nets are 2.5 games back from a top-five spot in the NBA Draft Lottery race and six games back from Washington's lead. 

The Nets now turn their focus to Tuesday's crucial matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, a franchise lurking behind Brooklyn with the seventh-best lottery odds (7.5%) at 13-25 on the season.