Cam Thomas takes the lead as the Nets hold off the Bucks for their first win

Jordi Fernandez picked up the first win of his career and his Nets picked up their first win of the season, a 115-102 win over Milwaukee.

And they did so on Sunday in front of a sellout crowd of 17,926 at Barclays Center, which included Fernandez's family, who traveled from Spain to enjoy the moment.

“It was fun. And wet,” Fernandez said of the locker room celebration where he was doused and given the game ball. “Yes, on the one hand it is very special because I have my wife, my children, my parents, my good friends, my mother-in-law, her husband. I have my loved ones here, so it's very special. [I’ve] I came from the bottom in the NBA and worked really hard to rise. It's really cool.

“You have to enjoy this moment because there is only one time you can be a head coach if you win [first] Game. On the other hand, I also feel like what the next step is and we need to move on to the next one. I want to be in this league, I want to stay at this club for a long time.”

Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks entrusted Fernandez – the first Spanish head coach in the NBA – with this restructuring.

And his first win broke a three-game losing streak in the home opener (which was the worst in team history) and ended a five-game losing streak against the Bucks.

The Nets (1-2) did it behind Cam Thomas' game-high 32 points – 25 in the second half – and Dennis Schroder's 29 points and six assists.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they are the first teammates in Nets history to score 25 points in a home opener.

And the Nets have done it behind the kind of team defense Fernandez preached.

“A man from Europe, from Spain, who is a head coach in the NBA, that is something very special. What he brings to that locker room, that courage to play hard, do everything together as a team and build chemistry. All of these things are great for us,” Schröder said. “He brought that to the team. Congratulations to him for the win and the locker room went crazy.”

That defense sparked a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that turned a four-point lead into a 14-point lead and kept Giannis Antetokounmpo somewhat at bay.

After ruining so many games against the Nets, Nic Claxton (10 points, 11 rebounds) and Ben Simmons combined to hold the former MVP to 22 points.

Trailing 17-16 after Damian Lillard (21 points, four assists) hit a free throw with just under four minutes left in the first quarter, the Nets scored nine points to capitalize on the momentum.

Schroder found a layup from Ziaire Williams that capped the run for a 25-17 lead.

Simmons scored on a 3-pointer from Dorian Finney-Smith to extend the lead to 61-54 with 8:25 left in the third period.

The Nets lost the lead thanks to a 12-4 run by the Bucks, capped by a free throw from Antetokounmpo.

But the Nets regained the lead with an 83-78 lead in the fourth period where they opened the game.

The Nets held on to a slim 89-85 lead with 9:18 to play and held Milwaukee scoreless for the next 2:28 and without a basket for more than four minutes.

A Thomas and one capped a 10-0 run and led 99-85 with 7:04 left.

The Nets extended the lead to 22 and held it to give Fernandez the game ball.

“It represents a moment in my life,” Fernandez said. “If you look at it, it’s the start of something special. That's how I'm going to look at this ball. I'm going to put it in my office because my wife decorates the house great and doesn't want my basketballs everywhere. So she says, “That.” [goes] in your office.'

“But when I look at it, I can believe that this is the start of something very special. And like I said, Joe, Sean and the rest of the team say: This is what we're going to do. And it’s cool because you just see one thing and you want them to keep coming back and I think it’s really special.”