Key Points

Cam Thomas returned from an eight-week hamstring injury to score 30 points and lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 123-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Nets bench outscored Minnesota’s 62-33, with key contributions from Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe, Nolan Traore, and Danny Wolf.
Brooklyn shot 54.8% from the field and dominated inside scoring 66-46, overcoming Minnesota’s strong first-half three-point shooting.

Cam Thomas couldn’t have scripted a better return. After nearly eight weeks on the sidelines with a strained left hamstring, the Brooklyn Nets guard exploded for 30 points, four assists, and three rebounds in just 20 minutes off the bench, powering the Nets to a commanding 123-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on December 27, 2025. For a team that began the season 0–7 and has since found its groove, Thomas’s comeback performance set off a new wave of optimism in Brooklyn.

“Really just [glad] to be back playing, feeling good to be back out there with the guys, making the right play, making the right shots,” Thomas said postgame, flashing a rare, unguarded smile. “And we played really well, we got a win out of this. That’s even better for me.”

Thomas’s impact was immediate. Subbing in with the game tied at 15 midway through the first quarter, he wasted no time shaking off any perceived rust. His first bucket came on a hard cut to the rim—set up by Day’Ron Sharpe—and he finished through contact, converting the and-one. That was just the beginning. By the end of his first six minutes, Thomas had already tallied nine points, all on aggressive drives and three and-one plays. The Nets closed the quarter with a surge, turning a Minnesota run into a 33–30 lead after one.

Brooklyn’s bench, fueled by Thomas, rookie Nolan Traore, and Danny Wolf, shifted the game’s tempo. The ball zipped around, the floor stretched, and the Timberwolves struggled to keep up. Sharpe and Drake Powell chipped in early in the second quarter before Thomas drilled his first three-pointer, capping a dynamic opening spell. Noah Clowney’s fast-break dunk then pushed the lead to nine, and for a stretch, the Nets dictated both pace and energy. Still, Minnesota’s hot shooting from deep—56% in the first half—kept them close, and the Timberwolves edged ahead 63–62 at the break.

But the second half belonged to Brooklyn. Michael Porter Jr., who finished with 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds, caught fire after halftime. He scored nine in the third quarter, including a tough and-one, and helped the Nets push their lead back to nine. When Thomas returned with just over six minutes left in the third, he picked up right where he left off, pouring in 12 straight points and igniting a 13–6 run that left Brooklyn up by a dozen heading into the final frame.

The Timberwolves, who had won 10 of their previous 13 and were buoyed by Anthony Edwards’s 28 points (despite a shoulder injury), just couldn’t keep pace. Minnesota’s three-point shooting cooled dramatically in the second half, and with key rotation players Terrence Shannon Jr. and Mike Conley sidelined, the supporting cast struggled to provide relief. Brooklyn, meanwhile, shot 54.8% from the field—an impressive feat against one of the NBA’s top-five defenses—and dominated the paint by outscoring Minnesota 66–46 inside and shooting a blistering 35-of-44 on two-point attempts.

What really stood out, though, was the Nets’ bench. Brooklyn’s reserves outscored Minnesota’s 62–33, their third-highest total of the season, with Thomas leading the charge. Day’Ron Sharpe continued his streak of multiple-assist games, going 5-for-5 from the field for 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Rookies Nolan Traore and Drake Powell made their presence felt as well—Traore zipped to the rim for a pair of layups and dished four assists, while Powell added seven points and disrupted passing lanes with his length.

Head coach Jordi Fernández, who celebrated his 43rd birthday with the win, went ten deep in his rotation, rewarding the young core that has helped transform the Nets’ season. “He made the simple play every time. And I’m pretty sure the potential assists were high, because he made the right play over and over and over. Sometimes you cannot control if those are going to be assists, but he just played the right way. And, you know, getting to the free throw line, as efficient as he was, it was impressive,” Fernández said of Thomas’s performance.

Thomas’s 30-point night was his third 30-point outing in just nine appearances this season, but it was also historic: it marked his 30th career 30-point game and his sixth off the bench, breaking a tie with Spencer Dinwiddie for the most by a reserve in franchise history. The Nets have now won seven of their last ten, including their first three-game winning streak of the season. They’re 10-19 overall but a far more competitive 10-12 since Thomas’s initial injury, and their 7-3 record in December ranks fifth-best in the league.

Brooklyn’s defense has also quietly become one of the league’s stingiest. The Nets have held opponents under 108 points for five straight games, the second-longest such streak in the NBA this season. They limited the Timberwolves to 44.6% shooting overall, and while Minnesota’s early three-point barrage kept things close, Brooklyn’s interior dominance and relentless pace wore the Wolves down as the game wore on.

For Minnesota, the loss was a tough pill to swallow after a draining overtime defeat to Denver on Christmas Day. The Timberwolves looked fatigued and struggled to match Brooklyn’s energy, particularly with Rudy Gobert off the floor. Brooklyn’s bench repeatedly took advantage, with Sharpe in particular dominating his minutes (+21), second only to Thomas’s game-high +30.

Looking ahead, the Nets are set to face the Golden State Warriors at Barclays Center on December 29. After stalling out of the gates this season, Brooklyn suddenly looks like a team on the rise, with a young core growing in confidence and a returning star in Thomas ready to embrace a super sixth-man role—if that’s where he sticks. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, will regroup and look to get healthy as they continue their push in the crowded Western Conference playoff race.

For now, Nets fans can savor a belated Christmas present: a resurgent team, a healthy Cam Thomas, and a bench that’s suddenly among the NBA’s best. With momentum building and a favorable schedule ahead, Brooklyn’s season has taken on a whole new look. The question now is just how high this group can climb.