NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
The Brooklyn Nets got a bit of a reality check on Saturday night. After cruising past the Knicks on Friday, the Nets dropped lost 83-76 to the Atlanta Hawks on a night where the main attractions — Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin — rested on the second night of a back-to-back.
But tonight, the young cornerstones are expected to return.
Advertisement
Brooklyn shifts its focus to an evening showdown against the Sacramento Kings (1-1) at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tuesday brings forth another summer subplot we missed in Sacramento: a clash between the No. 6 and No. 7 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.
📺 Watch: YES!
Who: Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas
TV/Stream: YES Network, Prime Video
🏀 The Game
With Mikel Brown Jr. and Egor Dëmin watching from the bench on Saturday, Summer League coach Dutch Gaitley handed the keys over to Ben Saraf and Drake Powell. The backcourt had its growing pains — Saraf dropped 15 points but shot only 4-of-14 from the floor in 32 minutes. Powell shot 0-for-4 in 24 minutes played.
“I’ve been working with my coaches on my shot,” said Powell. “They’re not going in right now. But I’m going to continue to put them up and have full confidence that they’ll go in… Some nights are obviously hard when I’m by myself in the hotel room. But just been [having] constant conversations with my circle and continuing to trust them and my coaches.”
Advertisement
Back to Brown Jr. and Dëmin.
Of course, Stephen A. Smith screamed “BOX OFFICE!” at cameras the day after Brooklyn selected Mikel Brown Jr., and proceeded to mention how they should be the next team to be part of expansion. Darius Acuff Jr. could have a great career and we’d be thrilled! But the focus in Brooklyn is on Brown Jr. — and only Brown Jr. No matter how much hype has been around this matchup.
It doesn’t need to be anything more or less than that. Keep an eye on how these two young floor generals attempt to set the tone early.
📈 Big Impressions
Although it’s lottery guards who have generated the headlines, Saturday’s loss to Atlanta spotlighted two guys in the frontcourt who came to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nba-summer-league-preview-nets-190143476.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-07-14 19:01:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
