Julius Randle had 4 assists in the Nets’ win — but his largest help may have been when he willingly informed coach Jordi Fernández not to sub him in and let the red-hot bench unit deliver home the victory.
The veteran ahead checked out with 22 factors and the Nets clinging to a tenuous 89-87 edge with 8:46 left.
But with little-used sub Danny Wolf and Terance Mann both taking part in effectively to pad the cushion up to double digits by the time Fernández was prepared to put Randle back in, he steered letting the reserves close out the win.
They did just that, with a 114-104 victory over Charlotte.
“It wasn’t pretty, but then you find a way, right? As a group and a competitive group, but also a group that is right there, ready to play like Terance and Danny, they haven’t had their opportunity,” Fernández said. “They’re prepared to play and they make a large distinction, proper. Whether Danny scored, Terance’s protection and composure, it was wonderful.
“And then Julius being selfless, I call him in to sub in, and then they take it to 10 or 11 and he’s the one, ‘just let them roll.’ So you see every single instance of great things that have to happen in the game and even a bit of Julius who he is and how important he is for us. I think that was huge.”
Wolf completed with 12 factors, 5 boards and three assists for a plus-17 in 18:36, while Mann was a plus-11 in 15:47. Both performed the whole fourth quarter.
“I ain’t gonna lie, the difference tonight was T-Mann and Danny Wolfe, I would say. They haven’t been in the rotation much, came in ready to play,” Michael Porter Jr. said.
“T-Mann is one of those guys who, it doesn’t matter how much he scores, he impacts the game with his IQ, his defensive ability, his connectedness and his communication. He’s a pleasure to share the court with, one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had. And Danny coming in, contributing right away, that takes a lot of readiness and a lot a discipline to like not play for so many games.”
Noah Clowney left because of proper knee soreness.
Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel dribbled the ball off his ankle then checked out gimping with 6:09 left in the first. It was his season debut after hamstring woes.
Egor Dëmin missed his fourth straight recreation with a proper leg bone bruise suffered Oct. 27 that the Nets said would price him at least a week.
They’ll follow Thursday and begin a four-game street journey Saturday in Atlanta, with no clear phrase on his timeline.
Drake Powell, Joshua Jefferson, Ben Saraf, Tyler Bilodeau and Grant Nelson were all on G League project.
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