When asked what it took for his team to overcome the absence of leading scorer Cam Thomas and a 17-point, first-half deficit in its NBA Cup home opener Tuesday night, Nets rookie coach Jordi Fernández kept it simple.
“The togetherness,” he replied.
It certainly took a joint effort.
One that included a season-high 34 points from Cam Johnson, a series of big shots from fill-in starter Jalen Wilson and the clutch play of Trendon Watford down the stretch for Brooklyn to edge the Charlotte Hornets, 116-115, in front of 18,117 fans at Downtown’s Barclays Center.
“We won a big game, a Cup game.