Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez highlighted resilience and defensive adjustments after his team rallied from a 23-point deficit to defeat the Detroit Pistons 107-105 on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Brooklyn trailed deep into the third quarter but finished with a strong defensive stretch and a late scoring surge to end a 10-game losing streak.
“Yeah, I think keep playing hard as hard as you can and the resiliency,” Fernandez said when asked about the comeback. “I think that we found energy at the right time.”
The Nets changed the defensive tone after halftime and limited Detroit’s interior production.
“Defensively when you look at 43 points allowed in one half of basketball, you give yourself a chance to win,” Fernandez said.
He pointed to several key statistical changes that shifted momentum.
“They score 30 points in the paint in the first half, 16 in the second,” Fernandez said. “Points of turnovers, they scored I believe it was 16 in the first half of our turnovers and only five in the second.”
Fernandez emphasized that those adjustments were critical against one of the league’s most physical teams.
“So I think that makes a big difference especially against a team like this that are so physical,” he said.
Brooklyn also received strong production from its bench during the rally.
Ziaire Williams finished with 23 points and hit two key three-pointers late in the fourth quarter.
Day’Ron Sharpe added 13 points and seven rebounds while providing interior energy in the comeback.
Fernandez credited their leadership and positivity during difficult stretches of the game.
“I think their effort was good, but their voice was great,” Fernandez said. “How encouraging it they were to others.”
The Nets coach noted that maintaining positive energy helped the group stay connected while trailing.
“At times when you’re down and everybody’s frustrated, it creates a little bit of a negative energy,” Fernandez said.
“But those guys, I thought they kept everybody positive and that’s a good thing.”
That connection was visible during late-game rotations.
Fernandez described a moment between Nic Claxton and Sharpe as an example of team chemistry.
“I was about to bring Nic in for Day’Ron because Day’Ron was playing so hard,” Fernandez said.
“And Nic just saw that he just got like a put back and fought for the ball and he’s like no no let him go.”
Fernandez said those moments demonstrate how players are buying into the team concept.
“When you see things like this, you see how they’re connected and they come together,” he said. “They believe in each other and that was pretty cool.”
The Nets coach believes the second half provided an example of the defensive identity the team is trying to build.
“It’s a step in the right direction,” Fernandez said. “A good second half of good defense, 62 points allowed in the first half and 43 in the second.”
However, he stressed that the goal is consistency.
“We got to do it for four quarters,” Fernandez said. “This was one half. I want to see four quarters.”
Fernandez also praised the interior defense provided by Claxton and Sharpe.
“When he plays extended minutes like that he’s getting better every day,” Fernandez said about Sharpe.
“But again, like him and Nic being the anchor of the defense when they both played like this, we’re just a much better team.”
