Thomas posts third 40-point game in a row, makes history
Ex-Oscar Smith star becomes youngest in league to do so
NEW YORK — Cam Thomas is the real deal.
The Brooklyn Nets’ second-year scorer hung 43 points in the team’s valiant effort in a 116-112 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
After a 44-point performance against the Washington Wizards and a new career-high 47 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thomas — who played at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake as a freshman — became the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 or more points in three straight games.
He also became the second player in NBA history behind only Hampton’s Allen Iverson to score 40 or more points in three straight games before the age of 22.
He has now scored 134 points in the three games the Nets have played since Kyrie Irving’s trade.
Thomas scored 30 of his points Tuesday night through the first three quarters before a series of turnovers and missed shots unraveled his night. He bounced back late down the stretch to keep the Nets in a game the Suns attempted to open up.
The results, however, are in: The Nets are now 5-9 in games they have played since Kevin Durant’s Jan. 8 injury against the Miami Heat. For reference, they went 5-16 and rode an 11-game losing streak when Durant went down with a similar injury last season.
Durant attended Monday’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers and watched from the bench, but was not seen on the bench Tuesday night. Seth Curry also missed the game with adductor strain, and both Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith — the two players who arrived from Dallas in the Irving deal — were held out of Tuesday’s game.