Andray Blatche Decides To Test Free Agency

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

May 15^th, 2014

One day after the Brooklyn Nets were eliminated their off-season started, and it started with Andray Blatche announcing that as expected he will be opting out of his contract, as he declined his 1.4 million dollar player option for next season.

Blatche said coming back to the Nets is his “Number 1 Priority” when asked if he wants to come back.

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“Yeah, definitely. I feel like we have a strong team here,” he said. “We have a good core. Everybody gets along, Everybody holds one another accountable. I can still learn from some of the players here. But at the same time it’s a business. So if I’m not here I appreciate everything this organization has done for me.”

“I’m going to see what’s out there for me,” Blatche said Thursday. “I would love to stay here. They gave me my first opportunity. So if things work out, hopefully I’ll be back here. If not, I just want to thank the fans and the whole organization for giving me that second chance.”

Andray Blatche made it clear that he would like to be back, and after coming off a nice season the Nets would certainly like him back as well. The Nets do have Blatche's early bird rights, which means the most that they can offer him is a four-year 25 million dollar deal. His former team the Washington Wizards are on the hook for 8.4 million dollars next season, so Blatche will be making a nice paycheck regardless next season.

In the 2013-2014 season Blatche had very good numbers, as in 73 games he averaged 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and shot a very good 47% from the field. Blatche will certainly have suitors, and Nets General Manager Billy King will be a bust man with five other pending free agents in Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston, Andrei Kirilenko, Alan Anderson, and Jason Collins.

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Nets Offense Disappears in Game 4 Loss

nj.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 27th, 2014

Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets Game 4 Recap

Final Score: Raptors 87 Nets 79

In a must win Game 4 for the young Toronto Raptors on the road, they were able to rise to the challenge and win their first playoff game on the road since 2001. The loss for the Nets evens the series up at two games a piece, and the home-court advantage switches back into the Raptors favor.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

In the Game 4 loss for Brooklyn they did receive a strong performance from Paul Pierce, who led the team in scoring. In the low scoring game on Sunday night, Pierce was able to drop 22 points on a great nine of 14 shooting from the field. Pierce added five rebounds and two assists to his final line, but was one of the few Nets to have a good game in the disappointing home loss.

Positives:

Besides Pierce the only other Nets player to turn in a good game was Mirza Teletovic, who had a strong game off the bench. Teletovic was second on the team in scoring with 12 points on five for nine shooting, shockingly none of which came from beyond the arc. Teletovic also added five rebounds, three of which were on the offensive end in a good 17 minutes of play.

Raptors Center Jonas Valanciunas has been a double-double machine in this season, but in Game 4, he was held to his worst game of the series, but noticeably only played 23 minutes. Valanciunas only had six points and six rebounds, far below what he has been doing to the Nets for the series in the first three games.

Negatives:

It was a tough night for most Nets on the offensive end starting with Deron Williams, who had a bad game in the loss. Williams finished with just 10 points on four for 12 shooting, as he went zero for five from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over five times. In his match-up against Kyle Lowry, Williams lost in Game 4 badly, as Lowry scored 22 points.

Joe Johnson also had a tough time getting going on Sunday, as the Raptors threw lots of double-teams at Johnson, which forced the ball out of his hands. Johnson finished with just seven points on two for seven shooting, in what was easily his worst game of the series thus far.

Amir Johnson had his second good game in the series, as he is emerging as an x-factor for the Raptors, as in both games he has scored in double-digits they have won. Johnson finished with 17 points on seven for 11 shooting with five rebounds. Johnson did hurt his knee which will certainly be something to keep an eye on before Game 5. DeMar DeRozan started off hot like the Raptors in Game 4, although he did struggle in the second half after starting the game seven of 10 from the field, but he still finished with a game-high 24 points

Excluding Teletovic, Brooklyn’s bench had a poor night scoring the basketball, as Andray Blatche and Alan Anderson combined to go a dreadful two for 11 from the field. Off the bench for the Raptors it was yet again another good game from Patrick Patterson, who early had a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.

The experienced Nets missed a golden opportunity to take a 3-1 lead at home on Sunday, as the turnovers really piled up for Brooklyn. The turnover battle has been an advantage for the Nets in the first three games, but in Game 4 the Raptors only turned it over 10 times compared to the Nets 16, which was certainly a difference in Game 4.

Next up will be a few days of rest before a huge Game 5 with the series tied on Wednesday night in Toronto.

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Pierce Leads Nets to 13th Straight Home Win

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 31st, 2014

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Timberwolves 99 Nets 114

The Brooklyn Nets were once again able to win at the Barclays Center, as with their 114-99 victory over the Timberwolves they have made it 13 straight at the home. The win moves the Nets to (39-33), which is 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

For the second straight game Nets Forward Paul Pierce had a great game, and got off to a hot start once again. Pierce lit it up in the first quarter scoring 16 points, helping the Nets get off to a good start. Pierce finished with a game-high 22 points on eight for 11 shooting, which included him, going five of eight from three-point range. The only downside for Pierce in the game was that he got into foul trouble in third quarter.

philly.com

Positives:

In the third quarter when the Nets got into foul trouble, Joe Johnson stepped up to help the Nets weather the storm from the Timberwolves. Johnson scored eight points in the third without Deron Williams and Pierce on the court. Johnson finished with 19 points on eight for 13 shooting, and he also became the 15th active player to reach 17,000 career points.

Brooklyn on defense did an excellent job against one of the better players in the league in Kevin Love, who is averaging a double-double on the season, but on Sunday the Nets held him in check. Love finished with just 14 points on five for 14 shooting, and maybe more impressive for the Nets is that they were able to keep in under 10 rebounds, as he finished with nine. As a team the Nets out-rebounded the Timberwolves by one, and even had more offensive rebounds than them.

The second unit for Brooklyn was very good in the win on Sunday, as it got big games from Andray Blatche and Alan Anderson. Blatche finished with 14 points, which led all bench scorers on seven for 11 shooting with six rebounds. Anderson was right behind Blatche with 13 points on five for 10 shooting, and Anderson also added five rebounds.

Negatives:

In what was a good win for the Nets there were few negatives, but Brooklyn was sloppy with the ball, as they turned it over 20 times. The high turnover amount played into the Timberwolves style of play. Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin were able to take advantage of opportunities in the open court, as they both played well in the loss. They each finished with 21 points, as for Brewer he did it on nine for 13 shooting, and for Martin he shot nine for 16 from the field.

Next up for the Nets will be a big test at home on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.

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Nets Win 12th Straight at Home

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 28th, 2014

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Cavaliers 97 Nets 108

philly.com

The Brooklyn Nets were able to return home to the Barclays Center after an extremely tough road-trip that the Nets had to play three overtime games. On Friday they were able to avoid a fourth straight overtime game, and extended their winning streak at home to 12 games with the victory against the Cavaliers. The win moves the Nets to (39-33) on the season, and keeps them 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division, as the Raptors defeated the Celtics on Friday as well.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce was the Nets best scorer on Friday in the win, as he only had to play 20 minutes, but had a huge impact on the game. In his limited time Pierce led all scorers with a game-high 22 points on five for six shooting from the three-point line, and going a perfect seven for seven from the free throw line. Pierce scored 17 of the 22 points in the first quarter, and all of Pierce’s points came in the first half. He also was able to extend his 100 three-pointers made in a season to 14 straight seasons a remarkable feat for Pierce.

Positives:

Brooklyn’s starting lineup did a pretty good job along with Pierce having a great game in the easy win. Joe Johnson was also very efficient shooting the basketball, as he went six of eight from the field, which included him going two for three from three-point range to extend his streak of a game with a three-pointer made to 20 straight, in route to him scoring 14 points. Deron Williams played well too, as in 26 minutes he scored 13 points on five for 10 shooting to go along with five assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

Shaun Livingston was the do it all guy for Brooklyn on Friday, as he led the team with 34 minutes and also had the highest +/- of any player going +28. Livingston finished with just eight points, but was efficient going four for five from the field, and like in a lot of games this season it was more than just scoring for Livingston. Along with the eight points, Livingston added eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

In the battle of the bench’s, Brooklyn had the advantage going into the game, and it showed on the court. The Cavaliers bench only combined for 18 points compared to the 48 points for the Nets. Alan Anderson was the leading scorer for the Nets off the bench, as he scored 13 points on six for 10 shooting. Andray Blatche was also in double figures, as he scored 10 points on four for five shooting.

On the road-trip the Nets really struggle to defend opposing team’s frontcourts and rebound, but on Friday the Nets did a much better on the glass, as they out-rebounded the Cavaliers 41-35. Mirza Teletovic was the Nets best player on the glass, as he grabbed 10 rebounds in 28 minutes. Mason Plumlee also did pretty well rebounding, grabbing seven in 20 minutes.

Next up for the Nets will be a home game on Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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Nets Road-Trip Concludes with Overtime Loss to Bobcats

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 27th, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. Charlotte Bobcats Post Game Recap

Final Score: Nets 111 Bobcats 116

For the third straight game on their road-trip the Nets played an overtime game, but like Monday against the Pelicans the Nets came up short in the extra session. The loss moves the Nets (37-33) on the season, which is 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Deron Williams

The availability of Deron Williams was questionable heading into Wednesday’s game, as Williams was feeling under the weather, but Williams was able to play very well in the overtime loss. Williams was able to score a team-high 29 points on 11 for 21 shooting, which included him going five of 11 from three point range. 18 of Williams’ 29 points came in the first quarter that the Nets were able to win 28-24. Williams was also able to extend his steal streak to 20 games with one steal to go along with seven assists and four rebounds.

Positives:

Brooklyn’s bench was able to give them some good production without one of their main guns in Marcus Thornton, who was out with a back injury. Mirza Teletovic was able to pick up the scoring the Nets were missing without Thornton, as Teletovic scored 22 points off the bench on six of 12 from three-point range to go along with his four free throws, as Teletovic didn’t register an attempted shot inside the three-point line. Alan Anderson was also in double figures, as he notched 10 points on three of eight shooting.

Joe Johnson was able to help Williams with the scoring load in the starting lineup, but it was only those two in double figures. Johnson finished with 18 points on seven for 16 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Johnson went four of seven from three-point range, as the Nets as a team were firing away going 17 for 37 from deep, and in the last two games have attempted a franchise record 77 three-point attempts.

Negatives:

As expected the Nets had no answer at all for Bobcats Center Al Jefferson, who put together a monster game. Jefferson finished with a game-high 35 points on 15 for 27 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, as for the third straight game the Nets have given up a big double-double to an opposing teams big man. The need for Kevin Garnett to get healthy is becoming more and more apparent.

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Jefferson wasn’t the only player to hurt the Nets, as they got some good guard play from Kemba Walker and Chris Douglas-Roberts. Walker scored 20 points on eight for 21 shooting to go along with 12 assists, five rebounds, and one steal in 45 minutes. Former Net, Douglas-Roberts provided a boost off the Bobcats bench with 16 points on six for 14 shooting with five rebounds.

Next up for the Nets will be a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Nets will look to keep their great play at the Barclays Center going.

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Nets Get Back to Over .500 Against Kings

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 9^th, 2014

Sacramento Kings vs Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Kings 89 Nets 104

The Brooklyn Nets were able to bounce back on Sunday night against the Kings after a tough loss to the Boston Celtics on Friday night. The Nets victory on Sunday put them back over .500 at (31-30), which makes them four games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Marcus Thornton

The main player involved in the trade between the Nets and Kings before the deadline was Marcus Thornton, and on Sunday night he torched his former team. Thornton scored a team-high 27 points on 11 for 15 shooting, which included him shooting five of eight from three-point range after a tough shooting game in Boston. Thornton also had the highest +/- of any player going +22, as he was instant offense of the bench for Brooklyn.

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Positives:

Joe Johnson came through with a nice game for Brooklyn, as he was the leading scorer in Brooklyn's starting lineup, and saved them in the third quarter after the Kings were making a run with 11 points in the quarter. Johnson finished with 18 points on seven for 12 shooting with five assists, and two steals. Deron Williams also played well for Brooklyn, as he did a good job setting up his teams with seven assists, and was effective scoring with 10 points on four for eight shooting in the lopsided game. Williams also did a good job on defense chasing around the speedy Isaiah Thomas, as Thomas had a bad game, shooting three for 14 from the field with seven turnovers.

Along with the great game from Marcus Thornton, the Nets got pretty good play from their bench in the victory. Alan Anderson played well in 24 minutes of play, as he scored 10 points on four for 10 shooting, with three three-pointers and four rebounds. Mirza Teletovic also played well scoring nine points with four rebounds, and three assists. Teletovic also had quite the underhanded scoop in the second quarter on a post move.

Negatives:

The Kings duo of DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay was very good in the loss, as they combined for 48 points. Cousins was the games leading scorer with 28 points on 13 for 19 shooting with 20 rebounds, as he was an absolute monster in the paint, as his 20 rebounds were just seven less than Nets as a whole team. Gay was also very good despite having to leave for part of the game with a sprained ankle after landing on the foot of Shaun Livingston on a three-point attempt. Gay finished with 20 points on nine for 18 shooting in 32 minutes.

Brooklyn came into Sunday's game without Kevin Garnett, who has been dealing with back spasms, and the injury bug hit the Nets again during the win. Just a minute into the game Paul Pierce was forced to leave the game with a shoulder injury to his right arm where he has been dealing with a stinger that forced him to miss time in the game in Boston. Later in the game Andrei Kirilenko sprained his ankle and had to leave, so the Nets may very well be playing in one of their biggest games of the season on Monday without three rotation players.

Next up for the Nets will be one of the biggest games of the season against the Raptors on Monday night in Brooklyn.

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Plumlee Has Career Night Against Pelicans

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 9^th, 2014

New Orleans Pelicans vs Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Pelicans 81 Nets 93

The Brooklyn Nets behind a great first half were able to knock off the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday evening. The victory over the Pelicans moves the Nets to (23-26) on the season, which put them just 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Mason Plumlee

sportspyder.com

Rookie Mason Plumlee had his best game as a pro on Sunday night, as the young big man brought a lot of energy for the Nets off the bench. Plumlee had a career-high 22 points on eight for 10 shooting, while doing a pretty good job getting to the free throw line nine times, where he hit six free throws. In addition to the career-high scoring night, Plumlee tied his season-best 13 rebounds too. Plumlee was the recipient to Jason Terry's 5,000^th career assists on an alley oop. Plumlee was also a factor on the defensive end, as he recorded two blocks, one being a ferocious swat off a Jeff Withy shot, and also had three steals to round out the best game of his career thus far.

Positives:

Plumlee wasn’t alone having a great game off the bench, as Mirza Teletovic had a great game as well. Teletovic was able to record a double-double despite struggling from three-point land, where he went just one from eight. He finished with 13 points on four for 12 shooting, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Alan Anderson also scored very well off the bench, as he added 13 points on five for nine shooting. The Nets bench finished with 59 points combined, easily outscoring their starters.

What gave the Nets such a huge lead going into halftime, was their excellent defense against the Pelicans. A 14-point first quarter was followed up by a 14-point second quarter for the Pelicans, who entered the locker room trailing 51-28. amazingly for the first time in Nets history they won a game with no starter scoring in double-digits, which shows how great the defense was, and how well the bench played on Sunday night.

Negatives:

The third quarter was a scary one for the Nets, as they started it with a 23-point lead that they quickly saw vanish. The Pelicans were able to cut the huge deficit down to a manageable 11-point game heading into the fourth, and if it wasn’t for the Nets bench getting into the game, it may have been a single-digit game heading into the fourth. The fourth quarter the Nets were able to play much better defense after allowing more points in the third quarter than they did in the entire first half, and held on to a 12-point victory.

The best player on the court by far for New Orleans was last years number one overall pick Anthony Davis, who had a great game despite the rest of his team playing so poorly. Davis finished with a game-high 24 points on 11 for 19 shooting, with nine rebounds, three steals, two assists, and one block. If Eric Gordon was ever able to provide some help for Davis this could have been a much different game for the Pelicans.

Next up for the Nets will be a few days off before playing the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday in Brooklyn.

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Nets Defeat Banged Up Spurs

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 6th, 2014

San Antonio Spurs vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Spurs 89 Nets 103

For the first time since 2010, the Brooklyn Nets were able to defeat the San Antonio Spurs, as they took advantage of the banged up Spurs, earning themselves a nice victory at home. The win moves the Nets to (22-25) on the season, which puts them three games back of the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Alan Anderson

newsday.com

One of the most unlikely people on the Nets to be the player of the game has to be Alan Anderson, but on Thursday night in a game the Nets needed to get against a Spurs team that was without so many of their rotation players, Anderson stepped up. Coming off the bench, Anderson played 30 minutes, while scoring a game-high 22 points on nine for 15 shooting. He really left his mark on the game in between the third and fourth quarters, as he scored 11 straight points for Brooklyn, which helped them secure the win.

Positives:

After a tough start in the game, going zero for four from the field for Deron Williams, he bounced back nicely despite having to go to the locker room in the second quarter after getting hit on his knee. Williams finished with 16 points on seven for 14 shooting to go along with his eight assists, and four rebounds. Getting hit on his knee however has to be concerning for Williams and the Nets, as he has missed a lot of time due to leg injuries, and those injuries have not helped his performance on the court in what has been a disappointing season for him.

The Nets bench was night and day different than against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, as with Andrei Kirilenko and Andray Blatche back in uniform, the Nets bench unit played great. Kirilenko did all the little things that he was brought in to do, as he had a season-high eight rebounds and a season-high six assists, while the Nets improved to (13-5) when he plays. Blatche also had a nice game coming off missing the 76ers game, as he had 10 points on five for 12 shooting, with six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Mirza Teletovic, who did play against the 76ers also got in on the action scoring 10 points on four for 10 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds. The Nets for being a pretty small team without Brook Lopez, dominated the glass on Thursday, grabbing a season-high 53 rebounds.

Good performances were seen from most of the starting lineup, as besides the good game from Williams, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston all played well. Garnett played just 18 minutes, but almost notched a double-double with eight points on four for nine shooting and nine rebounds. Pierce also had an easy night minutes wise playing just 23, but he scored 12 points on five for six shooting, and grabbed seven rebounds. Livingston had another nice all-around game, scoring eight points on four for nine shooting, with five rebounds, four assists, and four blocks.

Negatives:

The only real negative for the Nets in the 14-point victory was that they did start off very sluggish in the first quarter, as they were outscored 24-17. They were down 18-6 at one point in the first quarter, but they bounced back and handled their business winning every other quarter by at least six points.

Next up for the Nets will be a trip to Detroit to face the Pistons on Friday night, and the Nets will be without Garnett, who will be getting a game off for rest.

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Nets Snap Three-Game Skid Against 76ers

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 3rd, 2014

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: 76ers 102 Nets 108

The Brooklyn Nets were able to end their three-game losing streak on Monday night with a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at home without Joe Johnson. The win was a good one for the Nets, as they needed to beat a bad 76ers team, and the win moves them to (21-25) on the season, which is four games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

nydailynews.com

Nets Forward Paul Pierce was the go to guy for the Nets on Monday night in the win, as he was the games leading scorer. Pierce scored 25 points on just five for nine shooting, as he did a great job getting to the foul line. When Pierce got to the foul line he made the most of it too, as he went a perfect 14 for 14 from the charity stripe. In the last four games Pierce has been getting to the line a lot, as in the three previous losses he was at the line seven times in each game. Without Johnson’s scoring in the starting lineup, Pierce did a great job helping out in the scoring department for Brooklyn

Positives:

Back in the Starting lineup for the second straight game, Deron Williams played much better than his three for 12 shooting performance in Indiana against the Pacers. On Monday, Williams scored 21 points on eight for 19 shooting, and he was good from three-point range, going three for seven. Williams also dished out six assists to round out a nice bounce back game after his struggles against the Pacers.

Off the bench for the Nets their wasn’t a whole lot of production without Andray Blatche or Andrei Kirilenko, but Mirza Teletovic did a good job picking up the slack scoring for Blatche. Teletovic scored 20 points on seven for 12 shooting, which included him, going five for nine from three-point range in 28 minutes.

Going against who is possibly the Rookie of the Year in Michael Carter-Williams, the Nets did a very good job defensively against the young Point Guard. Carter-Williams did score 21 points, but struggled with his shooting going six for 17 from the field. He also didn’t do a good job protecting the ball, as he turned it over six times, while only dishing out four assists. Overall it was a poor game by Carter-Williams, as the Nets did a great job defending him.

Shaun Livingston had yet another great game coming off his season-high of 24 points against the Pacers, as on Monday he didn’t score as much, but filled up the stat sheet nicely. Livingston scored 13 points on four for nine shooting with six rebounds, eight assists, and a career-high seven steals. A great all-around game from Livingston led to him having the best +/- of any player at +23.

Negatives:

The 76ers did a pretty good job keeping this game close despite being double-digit underdogs, as they were led by Thaddeus Young and off the bench Tony Wroten. Young did a good job in the starting lineup, as he scored 17 points on an efficient seven for 11 shooting to go along with five rebounds. Wroten led the charge off the bench with 18 points on six for eight shooting, while going six for nine from the foul line in his second straight game of scoring 18 points.

For the Nets they did have some struggles on the wings in this game without Johnson, as Alan Anderson and Jason Terry both played very bad. Anderson scored just five points in 31 minutes, as he went an awful one for eight from the field. Terry was just as bad off the bench, as he scored three points on one for five shooting. Terry, who was once one of the best bench players in the league, has only scored in double-figures once in 2014.

Next up for the Nets will be a little break before they host the defending Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

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Buzzer-Beater from Joe Johnson helps Nets shock Thunder

northjersey.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

January 2^nd, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Post Game Recap

Final Score: Nets 95 Thunder 93

The Brooklyn Nets were able to pull off their best win of the season thus far on Thursday night in Oklahoma City with a comeback 95-93 victory over Kevin Durant and the Thunder. The win moves the Nets to 11-21 on the season, and are five games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Positives:

- Nets Point Guard Deron Williams had a fantastic game in the Nets best win of the season, as he really carried the Nets for most of the game. Williams finished with a game-high and season-high 29 points on 10 for 17 shooting. Williams really was feeling it from downtown, as he had a season-high six three-pointers on nine attempts, which included a buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter. If Deron Williams can play close to the way he did on Thursday night against the Thunder the Nets can certainly make a run in what is a wide open Atlantic Division even without Lopez.

- With no Russell Westbrook the Nets did a pretty good job keeping Durant's scoring to a manageable number, as he was held to 24 points. Durant was however very efficient shooting the ball going eight for 13 from the field, but he did have five turnovers, and a -6 +/- on the court. Overall Jason Kidd has to be happy with how his team did against the second best player in the NBA.

- Brooklyn saw some good production off the bench from two of their wing players, as Andrei Kirilenko and Alan Anderson lead the way for the Nets bench. Kirilenko in his second game back from the injury played 15 minutes, which was a little more than expected, but he looked good scoring nine points on three for three shooting, and three for four from the foul line. Anderson was the Nets leading bench scorer with 13 points on three for six shooting, and he also got to the free throw line a lot going seven for nine at the line.

- Joe Johnson was having a very quiet game up until the fourth quarter when like last season he was called upon to deliver a clutch shot with the game tied at 93. Johnson who had ice in his veins so many times last year did it again tonight with the buzzer-beater to shock the heavily favored Thunder as time expired. Johnson finished the game scoring only nine points on four for 11 shooting, and was one for six from three-point range.

Negatives:

- The only negative for the Nets in their best win of the season was the disastrous second quarter, which was the reason for the great come from behind win. Brooklyn was more than doubled in the quarter, as the Thunder scored 33 points to the Nets 15. In the quarter the Nets only had three field goals, as the lopsided quarter could have been even worse for Brooklyn. They however outscore the Thunder in every other quarter, but when a team has a quarter like the Nets did in the second it makes it tough to win, and is certainly a thing the Nets wont want to see moving forward.

Next up for the Nets will be a trip back home for a very winnable game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday January 4^th.

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