The shorthanded Nets’ first game of the post-Kyrie Irving era ended with a 124-116 defeat to the Clippers before 16,981 at Barclays Center — despite Cam Thomas’ best effort to do an Irving impersonation.
The second-year pro poured in a career-high 47 points, one game after scoring 44 — in a losing effort, after the Nets ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.
It made the 21-year-old Thomas the second-youngest player in NBA history with consecutive 40-point efforts — behind only LeBron James, who is on the cusp of becoming the league’s all-time scoring leader. After largely being buried on the bench while Irving was here, Thomas has been unleashed.
“I love to hoop, man. I love to hoop, whether it’s stay ready [group]. Obviously, I want to play in a real game; who doesn’t?” Thomas said. “Really, I just try to stay in the moment, and when I do get my opportunity I try to make the most of it because I love to hoop. I don’t want to go out there and look bad. … So I just want to go out there and give my best, give my all and just play hard as I can.”
Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Allen Iverson and Andrew Wiggins are the only others to achieve the feat before turning 22. Edmond Sumner, who started at point guard for the departed Irving, added 23 points.
“S–t is funny, man. It’s crazy how this man had all those DNPs. He just dropped 40 back-to-back. Blows my mind,” Sumner said. “I told him ‘keep rolling. You’re gonna go 40 again? Go 40 again. You’ve got it.’
“Go watch some LSU tape. A lot of people get it confused when people ain’t playing like you can’t hoop. We all can hoop. Go watch his tape. He been like that. He showing them. He’s proving it. I love him, yo. Prove everybody wrong.”
But in the end, the Nets couldn’t hold an eight-point lead. Terance Mann led the Clippers with a team-high 29, while Kawhi Leonard added 24 as the Nets dropped their first game since the Irving was dealt
“It’s been a whirlwind I’ve become all too familiar with, being here for four years,” said Nic Claxton, who had 15 points and 16 rebounds.
The Nets trailed 99-93 on Mann’s running layup with 10:07 to play. But that’s when they bounced back, reeling off 14 unanswered points to get back into the game, and actually surge ahead.
Sumner drilled a 3-pointer to put the Nets ahead 107-99 with 6:20 remaining.
An Ivica Zubac hook capped a 9-0 Clippers run and briefly put Los Angeles back ahead. Emphasis on briefly.
A Thomas midrange fadeaway made it 109-108, and after the Nets forced a Leonard miss, Thomas’ driving floater put the Nets up by three.
Leonard’s pull-up 3-pointer put the Clippers back up 114-113 with 2:46 remaining, and after Claxton was whistled for an offensive foul, Leonard’s free throws made it 116-113 with 2:13 left.
Zubac padded the lead to five, and after a Thomas travel, the Clippers closed it out.
