Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. combine for 64 points in a rebound effort

After combining for just 27 points on 7-of-24 shooting in the Nets’ season opener, Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. are back in the game. The Nets lost 131-124 to the Cavaliers In the home opener on Friday night.

Thomas had 33 points and nine assists — one shy of his career high — while Porter added 31 points on 5-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds.

After Thomas had a quiet first quarter with a two-point lead, his Nets teammates urged him to start attacking.

He scored 31 goals in the last three periods, along with seven assists.

“My teammates say to be aggressive, we need you to be aggressive and they will play against me,” Thomas said. “So I think that really helped me.” “At the end of the day, you want to play the right way and still find guys. But at the same time I still have to be myself and be aggressive, and then find guys when they’re open. I think I did a good job of that, they made shots that everyone was very proud of. I just want to keep building on that.”

This was Brooklyn’s first 30-point game since Nov. 6, 2023, against Milwaukee, when Thomas scored 45 points and Mikal Bridges added 31 points.

Igor Demin was 3 of 5 from 3-point range in 25 minutes off the bench.

His seven 3s in the past two games tie Keegan Murray for third-most by a rookie in the first two games in league history, behind Chris Duarte’s nine and P.J. Washington’s eight.

Ziaire Williams made a career-high nine field goals and six 3-pointers en route to 25 points. That’s the second-most in any game of his career.

“Ziyar was very active and was shooting well, so sometimes you had to read the game, and you felt he needed to be there,” coach Jordi Fernandez said.

A fan ran onto the field with 5:02 left in the game, and security was able to keep him away.

Drake Powell (sprained right ankle), Danny Wolf (sprained left ankle) and Haywood Highsmith (surgery on right knee) were all out for the matchup with Cleveland.

Fernandez did not give a grade to Powell or Wolff, but said rookie first-round picks are made daily. The Nets play back-to-back games at Texas on Sunday in San Antonio and Monday in Houston.

Fernandez on the illegal gambling arrests that rocked the league on Thursday: “Yes, this is personal, and this is outside of basketball, and this is obviously not the news you want to hear. I think the NBA does a great job every year, you know, with gambling meetings and rules and so on, because we’re dealing with young players, and I think they can follow the right steps. We support it, and that’s what I can “His saying.”