Brooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez came away pleased with his team’s overall performance following a 124-90 preseason victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Nets were able to use almost their entire available roster while producing 31 assists on 44 made field goals. Their defensive pressure also played a major role, forcing Charlotte into 25 turnovers that resulted in 31 Brooklyn points.
“Yeah, it was a good feeling obviously,” Fernandez said. “First game preseason we accomplished playing pretty much everybody that was available. Everybody won their minutes. That’s important – to play hard for 48 minutes.
“We struggled with turnovers in the first half. [We] ended up with three – I don’t count the last one for holding it – three turnovers in the second. So that’s pretty good, 31 assists on 44 made field goals, that’s great. Defensively, the ball pressure turned them over 25 times for 31 points. The only thing we struggled with was the 3-point line. We have to be better at getting out there and finding shooters.”
Brooklyn finished with a 25-6 advantage in fast-break points and won every quarter of the game.
The Nets accomplished that despite using several different lineups throughout the night. Mikel Brown Jr., who is dealing with an ankle injury, and Joshua Jefferson, who has a lower-back issue, were the only Brooklyn players unavailable.
Charlotte was missing Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Coby White, although the Hornets still connected on 16 of their 36 3-point attempts.
Fernandez was particularly satisfied with the consistency of Brooklyn’s effort as different combinations entered the game.
“When you win every quarter, it’s a good sign. We had different groups out there and they did whatever it took to get wins every quarter. That mindset is important,” he said. “It was a closer first half, but very happy with the intentions, very happy with the effort and the good things you see quarter by quarter.”
