Three Takeaways from Nets Road Defeat to the Spurs

Just like on Friday, the Nets dug themselves a big hole in the first half, only to rally in the second half. Brooklyn trailed by 26 points early in the third quarter and came all the way back to take a lead in the fourth. The defense settled in, and the three-point shooting came to life, as the Nets drained their first four threes in the final frame.

For a young team mired in a rebuild, these are the kind of games that are building blocks for a winning culture. Trailing by 26 points on the road against a tough Spurs team, the Nets never gave up and rallied all the way back. Even though the final result didn't go their way, the Nets proved to themselves and the rest of the league that they won't be an easy team to put away.

2. Cam Thomas Shines

Thomas had a huge game on Friday night, despite the loss. He dropped 33 points and a shocking nine assists against the Cavaliers. He continued his scoring surge into Sunday afternoon's game, pouring in 40 points against the Spurs. He left the game late in the first half, holding his face, days after he suffered a nose injury against Cleveland, but returned to the game.

The Nets are relying on Thomas to score points in bunches, and he's shown an ability to do just that so far this season. Brooklyn needs to improve its defense for those points to lead to more wins, but Thomas is off to a great start this season, and he's adding a lot of value to his trade stock.

3. Rookies Struggle

It was a rough afternoon for Ben Saraf and Egor Demin. Both of those young rookies have shown lots of flashes early this season, but Sunday's game was a different animal. In the first half, Saraf and Demin combined for zero points on 0-for-8 shooting. Sarad did dish out four first-half assists, which was great to see, but San Antonio's defense caused a lot of problems for them.

The duo finished the game with three total points on 1-for-10 shooting. It's unrealistic to expect rookies in the NBA not to go through any growing pains as they adjust to the league. Saraf and Demin will be better in the long run from this experience, but it will take some time for them to get where Nets fans want them to be.