#Nets rebound from ugly scrimmage opener to topple Spurs

Jacque Vaughn has consistently said his top goals for his team’s three scrimmages are health followed by experience playing together. After an ugly debut in the opener, he maintained that stance, playing down its significance.

Playing well and gaining confidence, however, had to be next, which is why Saturday’s performance was so important.

With more of their complete team together — Joe Harris and newcomer Tyler Johnson suited up after missing the loss to the Pelicans — the Nets looked nothing like the group that struggled so much Wednesday night in a feel-good, 124-119 victory over the Spurs at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando, Fla.

“I do like the fact that our guys didn’t like the way the game was resolved. So we wanted to play better,” Vaughn said via Zoom. “That was a big test for our group, come out and play with energy and effort.”

They certainly did that. The Nets hit five of their first six shots from the field, led 11-2 and put their 68-point performance in a 31-point loss to the Zion Williamson-less Pelicans in their rearview mirror. They pushed pace, their ball movement was crisp, defense was improved, and a number of players contributed to the victory. They got to the free-throw line 37 times, a sign of their aggression, and also shot 31.8 percent (14-for-44) from 3-point range.

Though Caris LeVert led six Nets in doubles figures with 27 points in 23 minutes and Harris added 12 points in his scrimmage debut, the performance of Johnson was arguably the most impressive. In his first game action since Feb. 2, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard scored 17 points and sank three of five attempts from 3-point range, perhaps showing he can be a factor when the games start for real on Friday.

“Even just playing against him all these years, seeing what he did in Miami, Phoenix, we know what a capable offensive player he is, what he’s able to bring to our team,” Harris said of Johnson, who notched a plus-17 rating in 18 minutes. “We’re lucky to have him. He looks great right now. He’s moving really well. He’s an excellent defender, communicator. He’s a good guy to have around.”

Others impressed as well. Rodions Kurucs, spending time as a stretch-four and five due to the Nets’ lack of size, had 10 points, six rebounds and three assists, and new starting point guard Chris Chiozza had seven rebounds and seven assists. The mainstays — LeVert, Harris and Jarrett Allen — produced as expected. LeVert was efficient and productive, scoring his 27 points on 18 field goal attempts, Harris had 12 points and stretched the floor and Allen notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

“Huge for us, we’re going to need all the guys we have, all the guys that are healthy going forward,” LeVert said. “We’re down a couple of guys, so everyone who plays is going to need to contribute for us to maximize [our potential].”

That’s not to say it was a perfect effort. A few times Vaughn called timeouts to adjust communication issues on defense. The Nets did allow the Spurs to hit 11 3-pointers. But after Wednesday, it was certainly a major step in the right direction.

---

Jamal Crawford and Donta Hall were held out of the scrimmage. The Nets will play the Jazz on Monday in their final tune-up before the regular season resumes Friday against the Magic.