The Brooklyn Nets (23-47) were hoping to get past a loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in which Brooklyn was in position to win if it wasn't for the supporting players going off in the end. With Brooklyn going against the Indiana Pacers (40-29) for the first of two straight games on Thursday, the Nets had a chance to steal a win over an Indiana team missing Tyrese Haliburton.
Unfortunately, the Nets lost to the Pacers 105-99 in overtime as Brooklyn did not take advantage of an 11-point lead that they built in the first half as they couldn't sustain their play for 48 minutes. Ziaire Williams had 22 points, five rebounds, and two steals while D'Angelo Russell has 22 points and six assists. Brooklyn also saw a better effort out of Nic Claxton as he had six points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks.
The Nets managed to stay in the game despite Trendon Watford getting ejected in the fourth quarter after tensions boiled over, but they weren't able to stop Bennedict Mathurin, who had 19 of his 28 points in the second half and overtime period. Here are the Nets player grades following Thursday's loss at the Pacers:
D'Angelo Russell: C+
Russell had another poor shooting game as he couldn't find his rhythm from the field while also finding himself settling for some bad shots within the offense. Russell has struggled shooting the ball since coming to Brooklyn, but the past couple of games have been rough to see from him. To his credit, Russell did a good job of setting up his teammates without turning the ball over, but he fouled a bit too much.
Keon Johnson: C
Johnson had one of his worst shooting games of the season as he couldn't get anything to fall from three-point or get anything going at the rim with the way that the Pacers were blocking shots all game long. Johnson has been playing some solid basketball as of late, but this game was one of those contests where he just didn't have it. Johnson did a solid job of passing the ball and played some decent defense in this up-and-down affair.
Jalen Wilson: F
Wilson started this game in the absence of Cam Johnson due to rest, but Wilson continued his relative struggles shooting the ball. The good news is that Wilson did not force the issue like some players tend to do when they are struggling and there is something positive to glean from that.
Ziaire Williams: A
Williams has been stacking games together of what he is capable of when his mind is right and is hitting shots from three-point land. One of the main points of interest regarding Williams was whether he would be able to improve his shot enough to be a consistent contributor on the offensive end of the floor. Williams not only shot the ball well, but he competed on the boards and he was disruptive on the perimeter defensively.
Nic Claxton: B
Claxton did not do much on the offensive end as the ball went through players like D'Angelo Russell and Ziaire Williams for the majority of the game. Claxton did a great job of getting on the boards, especially against players like Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant in a game that was physical all the way through. While Claxton was not involved on the offensive end, he was engaged on the defensive end with the way that he was protecting the rim.
Trendon Watford: B-
Watford had one of his better games of the season as he was able to get wherever he wanted on the floor since the Pacers did not have a good matchup for him. Watford shot the ball well and he was able to help out in the rebounding phase of the game, but his game should have continued. Watford was ejected in the fourth quarter after getting into it with Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner before ultimately getting tossed.
Maxwell Lewis: B
Lewis came off the bench and impressed once again with his ability to shoot the ball with confidence while coupling that with his athleticism on both ends of the floor. Lewis presents a different dynamic coming off the bench thanks to his ability to stretch the floor and being able to get to the rim against most matchups that he faces.
Noah Clowney: C-
Clowney struggled shooting the ball again as he couldn't find his touch from three-point land despite getting some good looks over the course of the game. Clowney did not have his game working from the perimeter, but he did a good job of trying to get to the rim and managed to generate some free-throws as a result. Clowney was solid on defense, but he also struggled with foul trouble all game long.
Day'Ron Sharpe: B-
Sharpe came into a game that was physical throughout and he managed to brig more physicality to the game with the way that he was able to move people out of his way, especially when rebounding. Sharpe has seen better days finishing at the basket, but with the way that he got on the boards, he made up for the misses. Sharpe also did a good job of protecting the rim against an Indiana team that loves to attack the basket.
Tyrese Martin: C
Martin struggled shooting the ball as he was one of a few players that had shooting struggles against an aggressive Pacers defense that pressures all the way down the floor. Martin was unable to get many open looks against a solid Indiana defense, but he made up for that with the way that he did everything else that was asked of him, especially his passing and defensive pressure.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Ziaire Williams drops 22 in OT loss at Pacers
