NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (25-52) were coming off an exciting weekend for the team as they achieved a two-game winning streak after beating the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks. However, Brooklyn began their four-game homestand Thursday with a matchup against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves (45-32) and the game went about as expected.
The Nets lost to the Timberwolves 105-90 as Brooklyn wasn't able to close the gap between them and Minnesota following a decisive second quarter. Nic Claxton continued his impressive play towards the end of the season with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists against Rudy Gobert and company while Dariq Whitehead had 17 points and three rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Despite having a scary moment after landing on the foot of Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, Edwards led the Timberwolves with 28 points and five rebounds while shooting 10-of-15 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point land. Here are the Nets player grades following Thursday's loss to the Timberwolves:
D'Angelo Russell: D
Russell did not play his usual amount of minutes in this one as it looked like head coach Jordi Fernandez was trying to keep his minutes down given the trouble that his right ankle has caused him. This looked like a game that Russell may have needed to sit as he couldn't get anything to fall from the field and he wasn't sharp with taking care of the ball, either. Fernandez also mentioned that Russell did not play his usual amount of minutes due to a combination of his right ankle still experiencing soreness along with Fernandez wanting to see more of the younger players.
Keon Johnson: B
Johnson did not have an explosive game by any means, but he was solid in the way that he was picking his spots to be aggressive on the offensive end. This was one of those games where the Nets were able to play at the slow pace that they are used to and that kept down the scoring across the board. Johnson has been more active on the glass and on the perimeter defensively, but he did a good job of taking care of the basketball and making some nice passes off the dribble.
Maxwell Lewis: B-
Lewis drew the start with Cam Johnson and Jalen Wilson unable to go for the contest and while he looked confident throughout the game, he just wasn't able to play efficiently on the offensive end. Lewis shot the ball well from three-point land, but his finishing around the rim left a lot to be desired, but he will have better days to finish the season. Lewis gave a good effort on the boards, but he also has to improve in defending without fouling.
Trendon Watford: C+
Given that Jalen Wilson and Ziaire Williams were unable to play in this game due to their respective situations, Watford was able to enter the starting lineup and did a great job of being the point guard for the lineup. Watford had some challenges going against the likes of Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, but he composed himself and was able to ...
