The Brooklyn Nets blew out the Oklahoma City Thunder, 116-85, in their 2014-15 season home opener at the Barclays Center on Monday night, and while the game itself was a bit anti-climactic, some big news on the basketball court surrounded the return of the Nets All-Star big man, Brook Lopez.
Lopez, who played his first regular season game since December 20, 2013, logged 24 minutes, scoring 18 points with six rebounds and two blocks. More importantly, however, he "felt good" out there.
Teammates Deron Williams and Kevin Garnett were also happy to see their big man healthy and on the basketball court. "It's big," Williams said after the game. "We're definitely happy to have Brook back in the lineup."
Brooklyn plays three more times this week -- all at home. Coach Lionel Hollins said before the game that he was most worried about Lopez's conditioning, so it will be interesting to see where Lopez "goes from here," in terms of minutes played, especially this week with a heavier slate of games.