Nets finally snag first win of season despite losing Cam Thomas to injury

INDIANAPOLIS — The Nets finally won their first game, but lost their top scorer.

It’s going to be that kind of tanking season for rebuilding Brooklyn, that even their rare victories are Pyrrhic.

The Nets juggled their lineup to shore up their league-worst defense, and the result was a come-from-behind 112-103 victory against decimated Indiana in front of 16,103 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Cam Thomas was long gone, forced out of the game by a left hamstring injury in the first quarter, by the time Brooklyn (1-7) rallied in the fourth.

Trailing 83-80 going into the final period, the heretofore winless Nets opened the fourth with a 21-8 run that ended up deciding it.

“For back-to-back games, we looked like a competitive group, we looked like a selfless group and we looked like a connected group,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “That’s the way that we want to get better. And that’s how we see our future in the short-term, in the-long term. Winning starts now. And when you go out there and fight like this, that’s what we care for, now and in the future.”

Brooklyn’s 0-7 start had tied the second-worst in franchise history. Of course, the worst was a dubious place in NBA annals, matching the all-time league mark of 0-18. But now these Nets are no longer in danger of that.

Thomas left with an injured left hamstring, the same hamstring he hurt three times last season and limited him to just 25 games.

But the improved defense — and the decimated Pacers lineup — was enough.

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Michael Porter Jr. — who was moved over to small forward to help get more size in the lineup — returned from a one-game personal leave with a game-high 32 points to go with 11 rebounds.

Noah Clowney, who’d filled in for Porter at power forward in Monday’s loss, had a second straight strong effort with 17 points, a plus-eight and some much-needed length and athleticism.

“When [Clowney] plays like this, he just looks like a grown man at 21: Focused, he can help us on the boards, he can shoot the 3. He’s an overall player,” Fernández said.

“It came down to defense. There was a lot of different groups out there that were not on the floor together. So we had to, on the fly, organize ourselves,” added Porter. “It was a relief to have Noah out there. He did a great job spacing the floor, rebounding, defending, just having size out there and not feeling overwhelmed on the glass or anything. It was a good look for us. And Noah came in and did what he had to do and was a big part of the win.”

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The Nets came in with the worst Defensive Rating in the league, and having Clowney next to starting center Nic Claxton helped. Claxton had a strong game, with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists — giving him 18 in the past three games.

Claxton repeatedly put the ball on the floor against Jay Huff and even had a Pinoy Step hesitation move.

The center continued to operate as a high post hub, as he has done the past week without a true lead guard in the starting lineup. But Terance Mann filled in admirably at the point, with 15 points, six assists and a plus-15.

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It was a tooth-and-nail affair, unsurprisingly not played at a high level.

Brooklyn led 49-48 with 3:33 left in the half on a Mann free throw before they gave up nine unanswered points. They fell behind by eight on a Ben Sheppard bucket with 1:27 before the break, and had to claw their way back from there.

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Trailing 83-80 after three quarters, Brooklyn opened the fourth on a 13-3 run behind Tyrese Martin.

Mann’s five foot baseline fadeaway rattled home, and Day’Ron Sharpe’s offensive rebound and free throw put the Nets up 93-86 with 7:55 left to play.

They padded it to double-digits at 101-91 and held Indiana at arm’s length the rest of the way. Or what was left of the Pacers, who played without Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Kam Jones, Obi Toppin and Bennedict Mathurin. They even finished without coach Rick Carlisle, ejected with 11:52 left in the third quarter.

But after their first win, the Nets won’t care much about the Pacers’ problems.

“We were connected and we were able to just for some tough shots forced them to take some shots late in the clock they didn’t really want to get to,” Claxton said. “Now you’ve got to have carryover going into the next game.”