NEW YORK — Cam Thomas led the Nets to a 28-point come-from-behind victory against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.
After a cold first three quarters, Thomas erupted for 16 of his 21 points in the final period, hitting a flurry of shots, including the jumper that gave the Nets their first lead of the game with under four minutes to go in regulation.
He then crossed up Knicks rookie Quentin Grimes before hitting a 30-foot dagger that delivered the Nets a 111-106 win over their crosstown rival.
The rookie out of LSU was one of few bright spots in what was an otherwise lifeless performance for a Nets team that trailed 50-23 at the half. His performance cemented the prevailing belief that if there was a do-over of the 2021 NBA draft, Thomas would not have slid to the Nets at No. 27.
But he did, and crunch-time performances are nothing new for Thomas, who was a standout in Summer League — when he hit a one-legged, running 3-pointer to seal a victory in overtime.
His performance, and the Nets’ second-half rally, embodied the resilience the Nets have displayed all season.
This latest win marked the 10th time the Nets have trailed by 10 or more points before coming back to win a game. Despite injuries and COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the Nets have found ways to manage, which is exactly what they did to seal the deal at MSG.
Yet, in many ways, the result was unexpected.
With no Kevin Durant, no Kyrie Irving, no Ben Simmons and no Joe Harris, it was a no-contest early on.
That’s been the harsh reality of the state of the Nets, who crossed the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan and were on pace to get molly-whopped by the Knicks before the Bockers showed their true colors. The Nets have won two games in their last 13 outings, but the Knicks remain the disastrous franchise in the Big Apple.
Newly acquired sharpshooter Seth Curry hit six 3-point shots and finished with 20 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 18 points and backup point guard James Johnson scored 14 for the Nets. Newly acquired big man Andre Drummond contributed 19 rebounds.
In the end it came down to Thomas, who did most of his damage in the fourth quarter and hit a shot that sent the injured Durant back onto the hardwood, but this time Durant was waving Knicks fans out of the arena as they headed for the exits.
