Nets rally to give Jordi Fernandez tight win over ex-team Kings, mentor

SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Nets coach Jordi Fernandez going back to Sacramento to play the Kings and Mike Brown wasn’t just facing a mentor: It was facing family.Brown didn’t take it easy on his protégé Sunday, and Fernandez wouldn’t have wanted him to.

He earned his victory over his former boss, a 108-103 come-from-behind win before 16,750 at Golden1Center.“I just want to kick his ass.And then give him a hug afterwards.

And I’m sure he feels the same way, the same way about me,” Brown laughed before the game.“That’s great.I take the hug, I don’t take the first part,” Fernandez said.

“We’ll try to do the same thing for sure.”It was a tough one, and a nail-biter.But the Nets built a 19-point lead, trailed in the fourth quarter and used a 15-4 run to take the lead for good.Cam Thomas had a game-high 34 points and Brooklyn shot 19-for-39 from deep to improve to 7-10.

And Fernandez got his win over his former boss.Their ties run deep.Fernandez met Brown in 2009, when Fernandez was a young development coach from Spain, working at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.

Brown — then the Cavaliers coach — had his middle school son, Elijah, working out under Fernandez during Summer League, and the Spaniard impressed him.It was the start of a mentorship, Fernandez serving multiple stints as Brown’s assistant — the last time from 2022-24 in Sacramento.“Yeah, he’s a mentor, but he’s more than that.He’s like family to me.

I would not be in this position without him.He’s the one that brought me here, and then years later we were back together,” Fernandez said.

“I’m in this position because of Coach Brown and the organization that put me in this position.So, really cool story.”And Brown was convinced this position — entrusted with the Nets’ rebuild — is the perfect position for Fernandez to succeed.Everything Fernandez showed Sunday just underscored that.“He’s just the right guy for the job,” Brown said.

“They’re ob...