Nets player grades: Cam Thomas drops 21 in 120-96 loss to Rockets

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NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (10-21) ended December as one of the hottest teams in the league while still looking a step too slow against teams like the Golden State Warriors. Brooklyn had a chance to begin 2026 with a statement win over a Houston Rockets (21-10) missing some of their big men, but this just wasn't their night from the beginning.

The Nets lost to the Rockets on Thursday 120-96 as they weren't able to keep up with Houston in the third quarter that broke the game open. Guard Cam Thomas finished with 21 points coming off the bench while forward Ziaire Williams came back into the rotation with 14 points and five steals as he gave his best effort with Michael Porter Jr., Egor Demin, and Terance Mann out of the lineup.

Part of the reason that the Nets struggled mightily in this one as because of their inability to limit Amen Thompson (23 points), Kevin Durant (22 points), or Alperen Sengun (20 points). The Nets dropped the ball against the Rockets, but they have to lick their wounds before Friday's game against the Wizards. Until then, here are the Nets player grades following Thursday's loss to the Rockets:

Drake Powell: C-

Powell found his way into the starting lineup thanks to Egor Demin, Terance Mann, and Michael Porter Jr. being out of this game for various reasons. Powell hasn't normally been deployed as the starting point guard of any unit that the Nets can field against an opposing team, but head coach Jordi Fernandez didn't have many choices for ball-handlers and Powell still has growing to do in that area of his game.

Danny Wolf: C

Similar to Drake Powell, Wolf was inserted into the starting lineup due to how many players were out against the Rockets and he saw plenty of time on the floor as a result. Wolf struggled to shoot the ball as he had trouble getting where he wanted to on the floor and with his three-point shot looking rough recently, he isn't able to get any easy baskets that way either.

Ziaire Williams: B+

Williams drew the start with three starters being ruled out for a variety of reasons and Williams looked like a player who hadn't seen the floor in a couple of games in terms of his energy and intensity. Once Thomas came back from his left hamstring strain, Williams was one of the players who ended up being out of the rotation, but Williams could be changing his fortunes after this performance.

Noah Clowney: C+

Clowney did a good job of scoring the ball in this one as he took his time to get to his sweet spots on the floor and that also allowed him to get to the free-throw line, even though his shooting at the charity stripe left plenty to be desired. Clowney's offense has taken a backseat to players like Porter and Cam Thomas, but Clowney showed what he can do when the ball is in his hands.

Nic Claxton: C+

Despite Steven Adams and Clint Capela being ruled out for this game, Claxton still had a tough matchup ahead of him as he had to match up against Alperen Sengun, one of the hardest players to guard in the NBA. Claxton held his own against Sengun for the most part, but Sengun is one of the better young players in the league for a reason and even Claxton's defensive ability affected Sengun only so much.

Jalen Wilson: B

Wilson saw some extended minutes in this one due to the amount of players that were sitting this one out for the Nets and he played well despite being largely out of the rotation this season. Wilson scored the ball well while not settling for just a bunch of three-pointers as he attacked the rim while also making sure to get on the glass whenever possible.

Day'Ron Sharpe: B+

Sharpe had a solid outing against the Rockets as he found plenty of success rebounding and scoring in the paint with Sengun as the only true big man that Houston had available. Sharpe scored on Sengun on multiple post-ups, something that Brooklyn doesn't do a ton within their offensive structure, but Sharpe looked confident and played like the leader of the second unit.

Tyrese Martin: D

Similar to Wilson, Martin saw some extra playing time against the Rockets due to the amount of injuries that the Nets had, but he wasn't able to take advantage of the additional reps like Wilson did. Martin wasn't particularly involved within the flow of the offense and while he played some solid defense, he didn't have much of an impact on this game.

Cam Thomas: B-

Thomas surprisingly didn't start this game despite Demin and Mann being out of the lineup with their injuries, but he continued his role as the scorer off the bench and fulfilled that role as expected. Thomas was efficient from all over the floor scoring the ball, but he also had some ball security issues that led to his ball-handling not being as valuable as it normally is.

Nolan Traore: D

Traore struggled mightily to shoot the ball in this one as he didn't have his three-point shot on point and he had a hard time finishing at the rim over the length of the Rockets' backline. Traore has had better days taking care of the basketball and setting up his teammates, but he is looking more confident by the game, even if the stats don't show that.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Cam Thomas drops 21 in 120-96 loss to Rockets

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