Cam Thomas scored 30 points off the bench in an impressive return from a hamstring injury and the surging Brooklyn Nets earned a 123-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
Thomas was the first reserve to enter the game after being out since the first quarter of Brooklyn’s win at Indiana on Nov. 5. He made 9-of-15 shots, three 3-pointers and nine of nine free-throw attempts in 20 minutes as the Nets won a season-high third straight game.
Michael Porter Jr. added 27 and 10 rebounds. He shot 9-for-16 and hit three clutch 3s in the final five-plus minutes.
Nic Claxton contributed 14 as the Nets shot a season-best 54.8%. Brooklyn also scored 66 points in the paint and Thomas’ big night was part of a 62-point showing by its reserves.
Anthony Edwards was questionable for the game with a sore shoulder after scoring 44 points in Thursday’s overtime loss at Denver and led the Timberwolves with 28 points.
Jaden McDaniels added 16 for the Wolves, who lost for the fourth time in 14 games. Julius Randle finished with 13 and 11 assists while Naz Reid also had 13 points as Minnesota shot 44.6% and was outscored 61-44 in the second half.
Thomas scored 12 points when the Nets outscored Minnesota 36-23 in the third. He scored 12 straight Brooklyn points in a span of 3:32 to give the Nets an 89-82 lead with 2:09 left in the third.
The Nets held a 106-90 lead when Thomas took a break with 8:49 left and the Wolves made a slight dent, getting within 111-102 on two free throws by Randle with 4:07 left before Thomas returned.
Thomas helped Brooklyn finish off its seventh win in 10 games by hitting two free throws and a layup for a 117-102 edge with 2:51 lead. Porter then finished it off with a triple to give Brooklyn an 18-point lead with 1:59 left.
Earlier, Thomas converted a trio of 3-point plays and scored nine points after entering the game with 5:40 left and helped the Nets take a 33-30 lead through the opening quarter. The Wolves overcame a pair of nine-point deficits and ended the first half with an 11-4 run to get a 63-62 lead at halftime
After Thomas’ binge, three hoops by Day’Ron Sharpe and a 3 by rookie Drake Powell helped the Nets carry a 98-86 lead into the fourth.
