Nic Claxton's defense helps the Nets slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo

Nic Claxton may not be back in the starting lineup or even at full speed yet, but he was good enough on Sunday to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo and give the Nets their first win.

“Nic said it after the game in Orlando: I have to be better. And [Sunday] “He played the way we expect him to, like one of the best defensive players in the NBA…or the best,” coach Jordi Fernandez said. “That’s what I’m going to challenge him to do, have high standards because we have high expectations of you. “And he brought that, also the leadership that we need, he was the anchor of the defense, communicated at all times and was very happy to see Nic play like that.”

Claxton was substituted for the third time in a row after the big man was sidelined for the entire preseason with a hamstring injury.

But he had a double-double (10 points, 11 boards, two blocks in 22 minutes of playing time). And he teamed up with Ben Simmons to keep Antetokounmpo from ruining the game plan like he so often does.

The former MVP has completely dominated the Nets in the past, with his second-highest career average against any team coming against Brooklyn.

Antetokounmpo averaged 29.7 points against the Nets last season and 34.0 against them the year before. But they held him to 22 points Sunday, just eight in the first half.

“It’s all five against a guy like Giannis. It's up to everyone to be on the same page so everything can load. It’s not just me or Ben or whoever is guarding him,” Claxton said. “I didn’t feel like I was alone out there. Everyone, the entire defense, we had a great game plan from the coaches and we did a great job executing it.”

After spending just 15:25 minutes on the bench in the opening game, in which he was sent off, and increasing that to 20:26 on Friday in Orlando, Claxton was able to increase his playing time again.

But he's still not at 100 percent.

“I'm still looking [my rhythm]. I still find it,” Claxton said. “It will take some time. But I felt better today because I was out there and just helping out and trying to do something positive on every single possession. And that’s what I did.”

Cam Thomas had 32 points, 25 in the second half.

His 99 points in three games tied Kevin Durant for second place in three games to start a Nets season. Kyrie Irving holds the record with 113 in the 2019/20 season.

Bojan Bogdanovic (left foot recovery), Day'Ron Sharpe (left hamstring) and Trendon Watford (left hamstring) were all sidelined.

According to the latest Forbes analysis, the Nets' valuation has risen to $4.8 billion, making them the eighth-highest in the NBA out of 30.

That rating is up 25 percent from last year, tied with the Bucks and Grizzlies for the second-largest increase in the league.

The Celtics had the biggest jump at 28 percent.

Perhaps most notably, after years of losses, the company reported operating income of $43 million on total revenue of $381 million in 2022-2023, according to Forbes.