Cam Thomas drops 40 through a broken nose as Nets fall late in San Antonio

Cam Thomas turned a painful week into a statement night, pouring in 40 points while playing through a nasal fracture as Brooklyn’s furious rally fizzled in a 118–107 loss to the Spurs on Sunday (Oct. 26). It was Thomas’ 10th career 40-point game, tying him for third-most in franchise history and underscoring his outsized role on a winless team still searching for rhythm around its primary scorer.

A 40-piece with grit—and context

The headline wasn’t just the volume, it was the circumstances. Thomas cleared the game-day injury report as available despite the fresh facial injury and never blinked: aggressive off the bounce, decisive from three, and relentless getting to the line. Brooklyn trailed by 26 early in the third, then detonated a 35–7 run bridging the late third and early fourth to grab a brief lead before San Antonio’s closing push took it back.

Thomas shouldered most of the creation while Brooklyn’s secondary scoring lagged. With attention swarming his touches late, he toggled between pull-ups and rim attacks, but the final minutes tilted on missed looks at the rim and the Spurs’ ability to convert in transition and at the stripe.

Where the 40 ranks for Cam Thomas—and the Nets

• 10th career 40+ game: Thomas now trails only two franchise legends on the all-time list.

• Early-season pace: Through the opening week, he’s averaging elite scoring on a heavy diet of self-created shots, despite defensive game plans keyed on him.

• Shot profile: The mix continues to mature—more catch-and-shoots from slot lifts, more downhill drives when defenses top-lock, and selective mid-range pull-ups when the clock squeezes.

For a guard once pigeonholed as a microwave scorer, the growth in tempo reads, relocation shooting, and foul craft is the story within the story.

The contract-year subtext

Thomas returned on a one-year qualifying offer (~$6M) after talks for a longer pact didn’t materialize over the summer. That decision sharpened the stakes: this season doubles as a platform year. Performances like Sunday’s strengthen his leverage, but they also pose a strategic question for Brooklyn—how much usage can (or should) run through a guard who thrives in tough-shot territory, and how quickly can the roster supply enough on-ball relief to diversify late-game offense?

What the film says about the Spurs loss

1) Third-quarter ignition: Brooklyn’s comeback started when Thomas attacked early in the clock before the wall of help formed. His quick triggers forced single-coverage decisions, and the Nets finally stacked stops to run off misses.

2) Late-game squeeze: San Antonio shifted to peel help at the nail while trusting their rim protector to erase back-line damage. That took away Thomas’ clean angles and turned the last few possessions into contested finishes and kickouts under duress.

3) Support scoring: Outside of Michael Porter Jr. and Nic Claxton reaching double figures, Brooklyn didn’t generate enough secondary punch. Until a second creator consistently bends the defense, teams will live with Thomas’ long twos over a thicket of arms.

Health watch: the nose and the workload

A nasal fracture typically comes with a protective mask and occasional in-game adjustments (blood checks, fit tweaks). The bigger variable is fatigue under contact: Thomas absorbs a pile of hits as a driver. Expect minor rotation tweaks—earlier breaths around TV timeouts—to preserve his fourth-quarter legs while the medical staff manages swelling and mask comfort.

What Brooklyn can do next to help Cam Thomas

• More 0.5 basketball: First touch equals decisive action—shoot, drive, or swing. When Thomas receives on the move rather than at a standstill, help arrives late and fouls spike.

• Elbow hubs and Spain wrinkles: Let a big facilitate at the elbow while Thomas screens into Spain pick-and-roll; it steals an open three or a short-roll pocket without asking him to dribble through two to score.

• Corner buy-in: Station a true standstill sniper in the weak-side corner to punish the nail help that’s smothering his lanes.

The bigger arc: usage, efficiency, and wins

Thomas is doing the hardest thing in basketball—creating efficient offense against set defenses—on a roster still calibrating roles. The shotmaking is real; the next leap is converting some off-the-dribble twos into catch-and-shoot threes and free throws, nudging true shooting up without blunting aggression. If Brooklyn can pair his heater nights with steadier team defense and one more reliable creator, close games stop becoming coin flips decided by whether Thomas hits two impossible shots in the final minute.

On a night defined by swings, Cam Thomas gave Brooklyn a chance it probably didn’t earn—40 points with a broken nose and a rally that briefly flipped a blowout into a fight. The loss stings, but his trajectory doesn’t. If the health cooperates and the scheme keeps evolving, this contract year is setting up as the strongest case yet for Thomas as not just a scorer, but a driver of winning once the roster around him catches up.