How good was the Nets offense in the first half of Friday’s matchup against the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center?
Look at it this way: The Bulls shot 56% from 3-point range (14-for-25) in the first half but trailed by 17 points with 4:42 left in the second quarter and were down eight at halftime.
It was just that kind of offensive night for the Nets, at least early on in their 120-112 win over Chicago. Each starter was relatively quiet aside from Cam Thomas, who had 19 points in his first 15 minutes of action. But Brooklyn had a 38-14 edge in the paint and was up 21-15 on the glass. Dennis Schröder and Ben Simmons were dishing out assists all over the court, and their teammates were taking advantage, as the Nets shot a scorching 60.4% over the first two quarters of play. They had 29 assists on 22 field goals — that is ball movement at its finest.
Not to be forgotten were the early contributions of Keon Johnson. He knocked down treys, blew by guys off the dribble, threw down a reverse dunk and finished the first half with 12 points off the bench. It was the highest scoring quarter of his NBA career.
However, similar to Tuesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets, the Nets cooled off considerably to start the third quarter while Chicago continued to heat up. They shot 9-of-24 in the period and were outscored, 30-24.
After looking like it could run away with the game early, Brooklyn led the Bulls by just a point entering the final frame. But a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter created separation when it mattered most. The Nets, led by Thomas, shot 50% from the field in the final frame to secure their third win of the season and their second at Barclays Center.
And just like that, Brooklyn is a .500 team. Thomas, who entered Friday night as the league’s fourth-quarter scoring leader, scored 10 of his game-high 32 points down the stretch. Brooklyn (3-3) has now won consecutive games for the first time this season.