Nets Rout Bucks by 45, Giving Assistant Coach Steve Hetzel First Career Win
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The Brooklyn Nets delivered a record-tying 127-82 blowout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, matching the largest margin of victory in franchise history and handing assistant coach Steve Hetzel his first NBA win while head coach Jordi Fernández stayed home sick.
“It was a lot of fun just watching how well we played as a team,” Hetzel said. “Normally, Michael Porter Jr. has been carrying us offensively, and then you see how spread out the points are. I don’t think anybody that stepped on the court played poorly.”
The game at Barclays Center marked Brooklyn’s fourth victory in six outings, pushing the club—once 0-7—within three games of an Eastern Conference play-in berth. Brooklyn’s defense held Milwaukee scoreless for the final 7:04, a stretch forward Noah Clowney called “elite.”
Rookies answer coach’s challenge
Four of the Nets’ five first-round picks logged significant minutes, highlighted by strong bounce-back showings from first-year guards Egor Demin and Drake Powell. After Fernández criticized both players following Friday’s loss to Dallas, Demin responded with 17 points in 25 minutes, while Powell provided 13 points off the bench in 23 minutes.
“He challenged Egor, he challenged Drake, and they both responded beautifully,” Hetzel said. “They took a big step in having a bad game and then responding. That’s what the NBA’s all about—quickly moving on and playing better.”
Managing Porter’s workload
Porter has frequently shouldered Brooklyn’s scoring load during his first season with the team. He poured in 34 points Friday against the Mavericks, prompting Fernández to emphasize ball movement when opponents send extra defenders. “We kept looking at Mike instead of using him and others taking or making the shot,” the head coach said after that defeat.
Hetzel, who also runs the Nets’ Summer League squad, has worked extensively with the rookie group since draft night and shared his assessments of their progress prior to Sunday’s tip-off.
Source: HoopsRumors
