Nets player grades: Trendon Watford drops 26 in 108-103 loss at Pacers

The Brooklyn Nets (23-48) were trying to reset their minds after Thursday saw them in one of the most physical games of the season against an Indiana Pacers (41-29) that they were going to see again on Saturday. After the ramifications set in from Thursday's overtime contest, Brooklyn and Indiana were on their best behavior, but the Nets weren't able to get their desired outcome.

The Nets lost at the Pacers on Saturday 108-103 despite Brooklyn trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half due to some poor shooting and transition defense. One of the main reasons for the comeback was Trendon Watford, who had 26 points and five rebounds off the bench while Cam Johnson returned to put up 20 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in the game.

While Brooklyn did a good job of limiting Bennedict Mathurin to just 13 points off the bench, Pascal Siakam stepped up for Indiana with 26 points and six assists in a strong bounceback effort from him after he struggled mightily on Thursday. Here are the Nets player grades after Saturday's loss at the Pacers:

Tyrese Martin: B-

With D'Angelo Russell missing this contest due to right ankle soreness, Martin drew the start at point guard and he did a decent job filling in for Russell. Martin did a solid job of scoring the ball as he was making his shots from three-point land while setting up his teammates without turning the ball over. Martin had issues guarding Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, but those are tough covers for anyone in the league.

Keon Johnson: B+

Johnson did a good job of scoring the ball overall as he found success shooting the ball from three-point range as well as driving to the rim on multiple occasions. While Johnson did not rack up many assists despite being the guard starting alongside Tyrese Martin, Johnson did a good job of maintaining his all-around play and was incredibly disruptive on the defensive end of the floor.

Cam Johnson: A-

Johnson returned after missing Thursday's game due to rest and he was back like he never left in terms of how he played on the offensive end. Johnson did a good job of scoring the ball overall and he was making his shots from deep so he was able to show the entire bag he has been developing over the course of this season. Not only that, but Johnson did a great job of rebounding and he filled in as a playmaker for his teammates as well.

Jalen Wilson: B

With Ziaire Williams missing this contest due right hamstring tightness, that meant that someone had to fill his spot in the lineup and head coach Jordi Fernandez picked Jalen Wilson to do so. Wilson did a solid job of scoring the ball overall despite not being as efficient shooting the ball from three-point land as he would like to be. The good news is that Wilson was aggressive on the offensive end and he was helping on the boards, too.

Nic Claxton: B-

Claxton has seen better day finishing around the basket over the course of this season, but with Myles Turner lurking around the paint, it's understandable that Claxton struggled to be efficient. While Claxton wasn't able to have as much of an impact scoring the ball, he made some nice passes out of the post and he did a great job of rebounding the ball and keeping Turner off the glass.

Trendon Watford: A

Watford was unable to finish Thursday's game due to being ejected, but with his wallet feeling lighter as a result, he made sure to be on his best behavior in this one. To that point, Watford focused on doing his job and he did that well as he was scoring at the rim almost at will like he did on Thursday. Watford did a good job of getting to the free-throw line and rebounding as well.

Maxwell Lewis: C-

Lewis has had better games coming off the bench for the Nets and that usually comes when he is able to hit his shots, unlike what he did in this one. Granted, Lewis did a good job with his shot selection, but it was clear that he just didn't have the touch. Despite Lewis not being able to do much on offense, Lewis was his usual disruptive self on the defensive end of the floor.

Noah Clowney: C-

Clowney has mostly been cold shooting the ball since he came back from his ankle sprain and it's not for a lack of trying on his attempts. Clowney did a good job of taking the shots that came to him, but he just didn't have it and it looks like he hasn't had it for awhile. Clowney did a great job of rebounding and he picked up two charges, showing how well he moved his feet on the defensive end.

Day'Ron Sharpe: D

This was the first time in awhile that one could say that Day'Ron Sharpe could have played harder or with more energy during his time on the floor. Sharpe did not have much luck finishing around the rim over either Myles Turner or Thomas Bryant and that limited his offensive impact. Sharpe did a solid job of rebounding, but there were some plays that he normally makes that he didn't make on Saturday.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Trendon Watford drops 26 in 108-103 loss at Pacers

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