Tag: player grades

Robert Spears-Jennings Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded safety from Week 10

After a strong performance vs. Maine, Oklahoma’s Robert Spears-Jennings was the highest-graded safety from Week 10.

It’s been a breakout season for Tulsa native and former four-star prospect Robert Spears-Jennings. After spending his first two seasons in a rotational role, he’s become a starter for the Sooners and one of the best players on their defense.

Against Maine, Spears-Jennings had another strong performance and earned the highest grade from Pro Football Focus among Power Four safeties.

On just 21 snaps, he recorded a tackle, forced fumble, and fumble recovery. He was targeted just one time in coverage, allowed zero receptions, and had a pass breakup.

Pro Football Focus has Spears-Jennings as the Sooners highest-graded player in 2024. He’s third on the team in snaps and second in total tackles with 52. He’s also recorded four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks this season. Spears-Jennings also has an interception and leads the Sooners in forced fumbles with four.

He’s been a revelation to the Sooners secondary, providing a blend of speed and physicality on the back end. Oklahoma will need Robert Spears-Jennings to continue his stellar play this week against Missouri and in their final two games against Alabama and LSU.

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Nets player grades: Nic Claxton has 21 in 106-102 loss to Grizzlies

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following a disappointing 106-102 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets hosted the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center on Monday and lost 106-102.

For the Nets, Nic Claxton had 21 points and six rebounds while Cam Johnson had 18 points and five rebounds. Mikal Bridges had 14 points and Dennis Schröder had 13 points.

For the Grizzlies, Luke Kennard had 25 points and seven assists while Jake LaRavia had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Lamar Stevens had 13 points off the bench and Santi Aldama had 12 points.

In the first half, this game did not start like the blowout that many were anticipating as Memphis made 7-of-13 (53.8%) of their three-pointers in the first quarter to even the odds a bit. In the second quarter, it was more of the same as the Grizzlies continued to be physical with the Nets, but once Brooklyn matched Memphis’ physicality, the Nets started building some momentum to end the half.

In the second half, this continued to be a game where the Nets seemed to take one step forward, but two steps behind as they couldn’t sustain any momentum after forcing a turnover or making a few shots in a row. Brooklyn failed to keep Memphis off the glass and the Nets free-throw shooting doomed them in a game decided by just a few possessions.

Here are your Nets player grades following Monday’s loss:

Nets player grades: Mikal Bridges drops 38 in 114-102 win over Hawks

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Saturday’s 114-102 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcome the Atlanta Hawks to Barclays Center on Saturday for the fourth and final matchup between these teams this season and Brooklyn won 114-102.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 38 points and five rebounds while Cam Johnson had 23 points and five rebounds. Dennis Schröder had 14 points and Nic Claxton had 12 points.

For the Hawks, Saddiq Bey had 23 points and three rebounds while Dejounte Murray had 20 points and 11 assists. De’Andre Hunter had 15 points off the bench and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points.

In the first half, this game began like a reversal of roles as it was the Hawks who came out strong on both ends of the floor while the Nets were unable to get much going on either end in the early going. In the second quarter, it looked like the Nets recovered from the Hawks’ initial punch to win the period thanks to Mikal Bridges exploding for 15 points in the quarter.

In the second half, Brooklyn continued the turnaround that they began in the second quarter as they did not give Atlanta much daylight to make anything happen on the offensive end. Similar to Thursday, Atlanta waived the white flag in the middle of the fourth quarter after being able to make a run to get back into the game to make things interesting.

Here are your Nets player grades following Saturday’s win:

Nets player grades: Cam Johnson drops 29 in 124-97 win over Hawks

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Thursday’s 124-97 win over the Atlanta Hawks in a pivotal matchup for the playoff race.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to Barclays center on Thursday for a pivotal game for both teams’ playoff hopes and won 124-97.

For the Nets, Cam Johnson had 29 points and four assists while Dennis Schröder had 23 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Mikal Bridges had 15 points and Day’Ron Sharpe had 12 points off the bench.

For the Hawks, Dejounte Murray had 28 points and six rebounds while Jalen Johnson had 14 points and five rebounds. De’Andre Hunter had 12 points and Kobe Bufkin had 12 points.

In the first half, the Nets did a good job of taking control of this game from the beginning as they poured on the threes in the first quarter, specifically from Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges. In the second quarter, however, Atlanta was able to get back into this game thanks to Dejounte Murray going off for 14 points in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Nets continued their dominance as they kept on making three-point shots and seemingly got anything they wanted at will. Atlanta waived the white flag in the middle of the fourth quarter as they just couldn’t keep up with Brooklyn’s scoring and decided to save their energy for another important matchup on Saturday.

Here are your Nets player grades following Thursday’s win:

Nets player grades: Cam Thomas drops 18 in 101-86 loss at Timberwolves

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Saturday’s 101-86 loss at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Brooklyn Nets visited the Target Center on Saturday to face the Minnesota Timberwolves and lost 101-86.

For the Nets, Cam Thomas had 18 points and six rebounds while Mikal Bridges had 15 points and eight assists. Nic Claxton had 12 points and Dorian Finney-Smith had 11 points.

For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards had 29 points and eight rebounds while Karl-Anthony Towns had 28 points and nine rebounds. Mike Conley had 14 points and Kyle Anderson had 12 points.

In the first half, it was clear that this game was going to be more of a defensive game than it was an offensive one. What was disappointing to see was how much the Nets were struggling to build a sizable lead despite Anthony Edwards for just eight points on 4-of-11 shooting from the field in the half.

In the second half, Minnesota continued to edge Brooklyn over the course of the last two quarters as the Nets could not find a solution to limiting Karl-Anthony Towns. However, in the fourth quarter, the Nets lost a grip on this game as Edwards started to heat up in the period and once he got going, the Timberwolves did not look back.

Here are your Nets player grades following Saturday’s loss:

Nets player grades: Mikal Bridges scores 21 in devastating 121-93 loss at Raptors

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades for Thursday’s 121-93 loss at the Toronto Raptors.

The Brooklyn Nets visited Scotiabank Arena on Thursday to face the Toronto Raptors for the second time this season and lost 121-93 in interim head coach Kevin Ollie’s first game in that position.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 21 points and four rebounds while Cam Thomas had 19 points and four assists. Lonnie Walker IV had 11 points off the bench and Day’Ron Sharpe had nine points off the bench.

For the Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. had 25 points and two assists while Immanuel Quickley had 24 points and six rebounds. Scottie Barnes had 18 points and RJ Barrett had 12 points.

In the first half, the Raptors played like a team that is trying to work their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture while the Nets looked like a team that vacationed too hard during the All-Star break. Mikal Bridges was the offensive engine for Brooklyn as he scored 15 points in the half, but the Nets could not defend the three-point line or in transition well at all.

In the second half, Brooklyn continued to play Toronto tough in the third quarter and actually held them to their lowest score of any quarter to that point, but the Nets weren’t able to create any distance. The bottom fell out for Brooklyn in the fourth quarter as the Raptors took off in the period and turned this contest into a bonafide blowout.

Here are your Nets player grades following Thursday’s loss:

Player grades: Mikal Bridges drops 10 as Nets lose to Celtics 136-86

Here are the Brooklyn Nets player grades following Wednesday’s 136-86 loss at the Boston Celtics.

The Brooklyn Nets visited the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday for the second night of a back-to-back and lost 136-86.

For the Nets, Trendon Watford had 15 points and two rebounds off the bench while Mikal Bridges had 10 points and four assists. Keon Johnson had nine points off the bench and Day’Ron Sharpe had seven points.

For the Celtics, Payton Pritchard had 28 points and three assists while Derrick White had 27 points and five rebounds. Jayson Tatum had 20 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 15 points.

In the first half, this game showed that it was going to be one of those contests where it would come down to the wire as the Celtics took control of this game from the beginning. Boston blitzed Brooklyn from the opening tip and did not look back as Derrick White and Jayson Tatum led the charge for a Celtics team that was looking to end this game early.

In the second half, it was more of the same as the Nets lacked the necessary effort that they showed on Tuesday to make a comeback. For whatever reason, Brooklyn looked out of it ever since the first quarter ended and it was arguably the worst loss of this season for the Nets.

Here are your Nets player grades for Wednesday’s loss:

Player grades: Mikal Bridges drops 27 as Nets lose to Celtics 118-110

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Tuesday’s 118-110 loss to the Boston Celtics.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Boston Celtics to Barclays Center on Tuesday for the front end of a back-to-back and lost 118-110.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 27 points and three assists while Cam Thomas had 26 points and four assists. Lonnie Walker IV had 15 points off the bench and Nic Claxton had 10 points.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 41 points and 14 rebounds while Jaylen Brown had 19 points and four assists. Al Horford had 16 points and Derrick White had 16 points.

In the first half, both teams played each other to a standstill in the first quarter as while Jayson Tatum was busy going off, so was Mikal Bridges and Lonnie Walker IV. However, the second quarter saw the Celtics created a big lead thanks to Tatum continuing his offensive explosion along with Boston employing a Hack-A-Clax/Simmons strategy, forcing Brooklyn to bench Simmons towards the end of the half.

In the second half, the Nets made quite the rally as they found a way to stifle Boston’s offense enough to cut a 23-point deficit to eight points while Thomas and Bridges went off. The Nets weren’t able to complete the comeback because of Tatum still scoring enough to keep Brooklyn at bay, but the Nets did a good job of giving the effort that it took to come back as much as they did.

Here are your Nets player grades following Tuesday’s loss:

Player grades: Cam Thomas drops 25 as Nets beat Spurs 123-103

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Saturday’s 123-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs to Barclays Center on Saturday and won 123-103.

For the Nets, Cam Thomas had 25 points and four assists while Nic Claxton had 20 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. Dennis Schroder had 15 points and 12 assists off the bench in his Nets debut and Mikal Bridges had 14 points.

For the Spurs, Wembanyama had 21 points and four rebounds while Keldon Johnson had 19 points and four rebounds off the bench. Devin Vassell had 17 points and Jeremy Sochan had eight points.

In the first half, the Nets initially had trouble dealing with Wembanyama and Devin Vassell as Wembanyama continued to draw fouls on Brooklyn’s frontcourt in some questionable calls during post play. However, Dennis Schroder put up 10 points and six assists in the half during his debut with the Nets.

In the second half, the Nets played the Spurs to more of a standstill as Brooklyn wasn’t able to rip off a game-changing run to essentially put the game away. However, the Nets consistently played better than the Spurs in this one as those small wins within quarters added up to a blowout win.

Here are your Nets player grades following Saturday’s win:

Player grades: Mikal Bridges scores 26 as Nets lose to Cavaliers 118-95

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades following Thursday’s 118-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Cleveland Cavaliers to Barclays Center on Thursday after the 2023-24 trade deadline passed and lost 118-95.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 26 points and five assists while Cam Thomas had 17 points and four rebounds. Trendon Watford had 15 points off the bench and Jalen Wilson had eight points.

For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell had 27 points and five rebounds while Evan Mobley had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks. Jarrett Allen had 14 points and Darius Garland had 14 points.

In the first half, Cleveland started this game trying to put Brooklyn away early by using Mitchell to hit almost any shot he could think of in his attempt to end the game early. The Nets fought back in the second quarter and outscored the Cavaliers thanks to the efforts of Bridges.

In the second half, the Cavaliers started the third quarter like they did the first as they tried to put the game out of reach before the Nets had a chance to get themselves settled. It worked as Brooklyn found themselves down 31 points before they knew it and the Nets were unable to claw their way back into the game.

Here are your Nets player grades following Thursday’s loss: