Brooklyn Nets forward Royce O’Neale had about as good a homecoming as any player could ask for. He got a tribute video for his five seasons as a member of the Utah Jazz and he played well as he scored 13 points (4-of-9 shooting from the field and 3-of-8 shooting from behind the three-point line) and had six assists in Friday’s 117-106 win over the Jazz.
This was O’Neale’s first visit back to Utah since he was traded to the Nets this past offseason for a 2023 first-round pick. He started off this game strong as he made three three’s in the first quarter. During O’Neale’s time with the Jazz, he was known more as a defender than as a shooter and the Jazz fans respected that about him.
However, in his first season with the Nets, he has had flashes of that elite defense, but he has also shown an ability to shoot the three and pass the ball effectively. O’Neale spoke postgame about Brooklyn was able to win this contest:
“I think just us locking in from the beginning. We set the tone early in the fourth quarter, our rebounding, defense, we turned it up a notch and got easy baskets on the offensive end. And, we just moved the ball.”
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