NEW YORK — The scoring and passing were impressive, though not what won over the fans in Dennis Schroder's Brooklyn Nets debut.
It was his fiery response to getting hit in the face by Victor Wembanyama that had the crowd chanting his name.
Schroder had 15 points and 12 assists, Cam Thomas scored 25 points and Brooklyn beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-103 on Saturday night, spoiling Wembanyama's return to the arena where he was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
Schroder had the most assists by a Nets player in his debut since James Harden had 14 on Jan.