Nets player grades: Nic Claxton drops 18 in 105-90 loss to T'Wolves

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NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (25-52) were coming off an exciting weekend for the team as they achieved a two-game winning streak after beating the Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks. However, Brooklyn began their four-game homestand Thursday with a matchup against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves (45-32) and the game went about as expected.

The Nets lost to the Timberwolves 105-90 as Brooklyn wasn't able to close the gap between them and Minnesota following a decisive second quarter. Nic Claxton continued his impressive play towards the end of the season with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists against Rudy Gobert and company while Dariq Whitehead had 17 points and three rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.

Despite having a scary moment after landing on the foot of Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez, Edwards led the Timberwolves with 28 points and five rebounds while shooting 10-of-15 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point land. Here are the Nets player grades following Thursday's loss to the Timberwolves:

D'Angelo Russell: D​

Russell did not play his usual amount of minutes in this one as it looked like head coach Jordi Fernandez was trying to keep his minutes down given the trouble that his right ankle has caused him. This looked like a game that Russell may have needed to sit as he couldn't get anything to fall from the field and he wasn't sharp with taking care of the ball, either. Fernandez also mentioned that Russell did not play his usual amount of minutes due to a combination of his right ankle still experiencing soreness along with Fernandez wanting to see more of the younger players.

Keon Johnson: B​

Johnson did not have an explosive game by any means, but he was solid in the way that he was picking his spots to be aggressive on the offensive end. This was one of those games where the Nets were able to play at the slow pace that they are used to and that kept down the scoring across the board. Johnson has been more active on the glass and on the perimeter defensively, but he did a good job of taking care of the basketball and making some nice passes off the dribble.

Maxwell Lewis: B-​

Lewis drew the start with Cam Johnson and Jalen Wilson unable to go for the contest and while he looked confident throughout the game, he just wasn't able to play efficiently on the offensive end. Lewis shot the ball well from three-point land, but his finishing around the rim left a lot to be desired, but he will have better days to finish the season. Lewis gave a good effort on the boards, but he also has to improve in defending without fouling.

Trendon Watford: C+​

Given that Jalen Wilson and Ziaire Williams were unable to play in this game due to their respective situations, Watford was able to enter the starting lineup and did a great job of being the point guard for the lineup. Watford had some challenges going against the likes of Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, but he composed himself and was able to get his points backing down to the basket to complement his rebounding and effective passing.

Nic Claxton: A-​

Claxton continued his solid play to end the season as he was aggressive from the opening tip against one of the better big men in the game in Rudy Gobert. Claxton did a great job of finishing at the rim, especially against the likes of Gobert and he showed more touch around the basket like he did last season. Claxton did a solid job of getting on the glass and he made more than a few nice passes with the ball in his hands.

Drew Timme: C+​

Timme continues to see playing time as the backup center with Day'Ron Sharpe out of the lineup, but he seems to have cooled off considerably from the pace that he was on during his first few games with the team. Timme struggled shooting around the rim against the likes of Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid and he wasn't active on the glass as he had been coming into this game.

Dariq Whitehead: B​

Whitehead was one of the players that saw more playing time due to the amount of injuries that the team is dealing with, but one would have liked to see him shoot the ball better overall from the field. The good news for Whitehead and the Nets was that he continued to shoot the three-ball despite some tough misses, but he has to improve with his game aside from the three-point shooting.

Tosan Evbuomwan: B+​

Evbuomwan has been one of the players that have seen more playing with the season winding down and he looks like he did when he was a regular member of the rotation in the middle of the season. Part of the reason that Evbuomwan was out of the lineup was to help Long Island content for a playoff spot, but this game shows that he will be spending most of his time with Brooklyn next season.

Reece Beekman: C+​

Beekman saw some more playing time that he normally does, but his performance left a lot to be desired due to his lack of impact on the offensive end of the floor. Beekman can hold his own on the defensive end, but for him to be a contributor at the NBA level, he has to have some ability to make shots or create for his teammates and neither of those traits have developed for him yet.

Tyson Etienne: C+​

Etienne saw the floor again for the Nets, but he didn't have the kind of three-point shooting performance that he had the last time he played at Barclays Center. Etienne has shown some ability to handle the basketball and get to his spots on the floor, but the shot-making is still something he has to work on. What is impressive is his ability to create off the dribble along with being able to pressure the ball on the defensive end like he did against Minnesota.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets player grades: Nic Claxton drops 18 in 105-90 loss to T'Wolves

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