What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets December 11

Tuesday, December 11^th, 2012

Pre Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets

The Knicks will look to get some revenge in round two of the Battle of the Boroughs as they travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets.  The first time around, the Nets won a hard fought overtime game 96-89.  In the first meeting, it was the Knicks who were not at full strength; tonight it will be the Nets who will be playing short-handed.  Here are some things to watch tonight:

-Jason Kidd in the Lineup

In the first matchup of the season, the Knicks were without guard Jason Kidd.  Thankfully, this time they will have Kidd at their disposal and he should assume his regular role in the starting lineup. 

Without Kidd in the lineup, the Knicks offense struggled; the ball movement was stagnant and the offense was over reliant on isolations, especially with Carmelo Anthony.  With Kidd in the lineup, the ball movement is crisper and everyone is on top of their game.

Kidd also brings veteran intangibles that are irreplaceable for the Knicks.  He is 39 years old, but he has the hands of a 24 year old and can still make things happen on the defensive end of the court and still makes precision passes not every point guard is capable of. 

-Attack the Paint

The Nets this time will be the team without a key piece in their lineup, as starting center Brook Lopez will miss the game with a foot injury.  It will be the sixth straight game that Lopez misses, meaning Andray Blatche will take over at center for the Nets tonight again.

The Nets are 1-4 without Lopez in the lineup, with their only win coming against a lowly Orlando Magic squad.  The Nets will also have Reggie Evans in the starting lineup, replacing Kris Humphries to try and replace the defense lost with Lopez sitting out.

Without Lopez in the lineup, the Nets are allowing 11.5 more points per game; 102.2 without Lopez compared to 90.7 with him.  The shooting percentages also see a drastic change without Lopez in the lineup, as the Nets are allowing teams to shoot 50.7 percent from the field without him compared to 44.9 with him. 

Blatche has filled in admirably for Lopez, scoring 17.2 points per game to go along with 9.8 rebounds, but he leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end, blocking only 0.4 shots per game compared to the 2.5 Lopez provides.

-Bench Play

With the injuries the Nets have, their starting lineup will be shifted around much like the Knicks in the first meeting.  That means that their bench is weakened, meaning the Knicks have to take advantage.

Since Lopez has been out, the productivity of the Nets bench players has suffered as well.  Jerry Stackhouse has been shooting 30.4 percent from the field and C.J Watson is averaging only 1.5 assists and shooting 37.5 percent.

The Knicks bench has been coming alive of late, with Steve Novak finding his touch and Rasheed Wallace giving strong minutes as well.  J.R. Smith has struggled with his shot recently, but the effort he gives on defense and how he fills other stats still helps the Knicks.

With the Nets lineup change, the Knicks now have the superior bench and will have to take advantage as they cannot rely on Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler solely to carry the offense.  

Nets Can't Stop Losing Streak Against Bucks

sbnation.com

Nets vs. Bucks Post Game Recap 12/9

The Brooklyn Nets woes continued on Sunday at the Barclays Center losing to the Milwaukee Bucks 97-88, as the Nets are now on a four game losing streak, and have lost four out of five games without Brook Lopez.

The Nets star backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson were outplayed by their counterparts on the Bucks in Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis who combined for 50 points to just the 24 that Williams and Johnson were able to score.

The best player for the Nets in the starting lineup was by far Gerald Wallace who had a monster double-double scoring 16 points on six for 12 shooting to go along with a season-high 16 rebounds.

The starting lineup saw a shakeup at the power forward position from Avery Johnson, as Kris Humphries was moved to the bench, and Reggie Evans moved into the starting five. The move didn’t make much of a difference for the Nets however, as Humphries had four points and seven rebounds, and Evans had five points with nine rebounds, and four steals.

MarShon Brooks was finally given some minutes in this game, and was one of the main reasons for the Nets comeback attempt after being down by 29 points Brooks led the Nets off the bench scoring 14 points on four for five shooting, and was perfect at the free throw line going five for five.

The Nets will have a tough task on Tuesday trying to snap their losing streak at home against the New York Knicks and Carmelo Anthony in the second round of the East River Rivalry.

Knicks Continue Strong Play at MSG

Sunday, December 9^th, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: Denver Nuggets: 106 New York Knicks: 112

Knicks Stay Undefeated with Hard Fought Victory

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In his first game back after a two game absence, Carmelo Anthony returned to the court, helping the Knicks back into the win column.  With the victory, the Knicks continued their home winning streak, winning all their home games thus far this season. 

Under Mike Woodson, the Knicks are 19-1 at home in the regular season.  Also, the Knicks continued an amazing stretch in which they have only lost back-to-back games in the regular season only once.

Anthony struggled early, but got his shot going when the Knicks needed it most; Anthony missed 12 of his first 17 shots. The fourth quarter Anthony finished strong, going five of seven and scoring nine key points as the Knicks were able to hold off a scrappy Nuggets squad. 

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Anthony finished with 34 points and six rebounds, going 10 of 24 from the field and 11 of 16 from the foul line.  Anthony showed tonight how much he really means to this Knicks team and how much a team can benefit from having a superstar to close out games.

The Knicks struggled as a whole from the free throw line tonight, but thankfully it did not hurt them at the end.  Even when struggling from the line, going 36 for 27, they made more free throws than the Nuggets, who went 21 for 29.  If the Knicks had knocked down more free throws, the end of the game would not have been so close and in question. 

Ball security was at a premium for the Knicks coming into the game, as the Nuggets thrive in the open court and on fast breaks.  The Knicks were able to limit those opportunities by turning the ball over only nine times. 

When the Knicks turn the ball over 12 times or less, they are now 13-0; but when they turn it over 13 times or more they are 2-5.  The Knicks shot poorly from the field, at only 43 percent, but was able to make up for that by not turning the ball over. 

They also made up for it with their hustle on the boards.  The Nuggets came into the game as one of the top rebounding teams in the NBA with players like Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee in the middle.  Without Rasheed Wallace tonight and Marcus Camby, the Knicks were dangerously thin up front with only Tyson Chandler and Kurt Thomas, equaling a potentially disastrous situation on the boards. 

The Knicks weren’t having any of that though, as they were outrebounded by the Nuggets by only one, 40-39, thanks to a dominant performance by Chandler with a game high 12 and a surprising nine from J.R. Smith.

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Chandler continued his spirited play Sunday night, playing with tenacity and energy knowing the Knicks really needed him with Wallace and Camby both sitting out; he responded with another double-double, his eighth of the season.  Chandler finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, changing the Nuggets shots on numerous occasions.

The Knicks were able to pull the game out night, but it should not have been this close.  The combination of poor defense (the Nuggets shot 55.6 percent from the field) and poor shooting (43.0 percent from the field for the Knicks) goes together like oil and vinegar.  Nonetheless, the Knicks scored when they needed to and got the stops that were necessary in picking up the victory tonight.

Jason Kidd was amazing for the Knicks tonight, showing that age is just a number once again.  As Alan Hahn has said plenty of times, Kidd’s body is 39 years old but his hands are still 24.  Kidd was instrumental in the Knicks coming back tonight and holding onto the lead.  He made timely baskets and led the Knicks with seven assists.  The Knicks look much better on the court when Kidd plays.

This opinion of mine has a chance to be proven correct soon, as next up for the Knicks is round two in the Battle of the Boroughs as the Knicks head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets Tuesday night and will look to exact some revenge from the loss earlier in the season the Nets handed them.  Kidd sat out the first meeting this season and I firmly believe that if Kidd had played the Knicks would have come away with the victory.

Nets Can't Get Revenge on Warriors

nypost.com

Nets vs. Warriors Post Game Recap 12/7

Final Score: Warriors 109 Nets 102

For the second time this season the Brooklyn Nets were unable to beat the Golden State Warriors, as the Nets couldn’t get revenge on the Warriors at home after losing to them on the West Coast earlier in the season.

Like on the West Coast Stephen Curry killed the Nets outplaying Deron Williams by scoring 28 points on 10 for 19 shooting, as in two games Curry has scored 53 points against the Nets, as Brooklyn will be happy to not have to play him again this season.

Deron Williams followed up his season-high 33 point game against the Thunder by filling out a pretty nice stat sheet scoring 23 points on eight for 22 shooting with eight assists, and five rebounds. The problem for Williams like most of the season was his shot, as Williams was only two for 10 from three-point land.

Joe Johnson had his best game of the season in the loss on Friday, as Johnson had a season-high 32 points on 12 for 23 shooting to go along with five rebounds, but despite the great game from Johnson it wasn’t enough to get the win.

Ex-Knick David Lee had a monster game posting a monster double-double with 30 points on 14 for 22 shooting, and grabbed 15 rebounds, as the former double-double machine for the Knicks usually plays well in New York.

The Nets also got a monster double-double from one of their big men, as Andray Blatche continued his great play filling in for Lopez with 22 points on eight for 13 shooting with 15 rebounds.

With Blatche in the starting lineup the bench scored suffered on Friday, as the Nets bench was outscored by Jarrett Jack alone who torched the Nets for 15 points on seven for 12 shooting. Jack Lead the Warriors bench which outscored the Nets bench 32 to 13.

The Nets will look to snap their losing streak on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, and their star backcourt of Brandon Jennings, and Monta Ellis.

Avery Johnson Named Coach of The Month

nydailynews.com

The Brooklyn Nets great start to their season has seen some early recognition from the NBA in the form of the Nets head coach Avery Johnson winning the Eastern Conference Coach of the month award for November.

Avery Johnson has led the Brooklyn Nets to an 11-4 record in November that is the best start in November for the Nets in franchise history. Johnson has gotten the Nets to become one of the better defensive teams in the league, which goes a long way to why they have 11 wins, and are the second best team in the league in points allowed only giving up 90.4 per game.

“I've used (zone defense) in the past as a tool, and maybe sometime in the future we may use it," Johnson said. "We like our full-court press a lot more when we go to that instead of our zone half-court defense. Everything's always on the table, but we take pride in being a good man-to-man defensive team.”

The Nets record is quite impressive considering their start backcourt in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson have yet to find their shots consistently, and when they do the Nets maybe a real force in the Eastern Conference.

“Coach Johnson has been a great leader and motivator," Joe Johnson said. "Every day he comes in here with a great attitude and he definitely keeps us on our toes. He's a great 'players' coach' that you can go to anytime and sit down and talk to and he gives great advice.”

There is still a long ways to go in the season, as even though the Nets are playing well right now coach Johnson and his team all have much bigger expectations than just one good month of basketball.

Nets Get Thunderstruck

Brooklyn Nets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Post Game Recap 12/4


The Brooklyn Nets fell to 11-6 as they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-111 in Brooklyn. The Nets were once again without Brook Lopez with a strained right foot for the 3rd straight game, as well as Reggie Evans who was suffering from the flu.

The Nets played awful defense in the first half, allowing the Thunder to shoot 65% from the field and trailed 61-48 at the half. They were unable to keep the Thunder out of the paint, as Westbrook who finished with 25 points and Durant who finished with 32 points got to the line a combined 20 times. Deron Williams struggled with keeping Westbrook infront of him all night, and the help defense which came late most of the time led to a wide open Sefolosha. On offense, the Nets primarily stayed out of the paint, shooting 34 three pointers. The Nets hit 14 of them, most coming in the 3rd quarter where the Nets made their run to cut the defecit to 2. With Evans out, rebounding the ball would have seemed to be troublesome for the Nets, but all the three pointers they shot led to long rebounds, which the Nets grabbed 16 of, 40 rebounds total. The Thunder only managed to grab 2 offensive rebounds and 33 in total. This odd rebounding effort allowed the Nets to stay in the game and let the game come down to the 4th quarter. Under 2:00 minutes left in the 4th, a close goaltending call on Kris Humphries on a Kevin Durant layup allowed the Thunder to go up 110-106, which sealed the deal.

BRIGHTSPOTS

Andray Blatche, who started in place for Lopez, continued to play well. Blatche finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive rebounds. Deron Williams also finally found his shooting touch as all season he had been struggling. Williams hit 5-9 from three point land finishing with 33 points and 7 assists. Along with Williams, Gerald Wallace also found his shooting touch in the 3rd quarter, shooting 4-7 from three point land. Mirza Teletovic, saw a lot of action in this game, and played well. Mirza shot 3-6 from the field for 8 points. Mirza will need to continue to play well due to Broo Lopez's history with injury.

QUESTIONMARKS

Brooklyn was the 2nd best defense in opponents ppg, but allowing the Thunder to score 117 was just atrocious. The Nets struggled on defense in almost every phase, from the guards not being able to keep the Thunder's perimeter players out of the paint, to our big men not being able to stay with their man. Serge Ibaka went 8-12 from the field and had two highlight dunks. Ibaka either got a wide open jump shot or an easy dunk on the offensive end.

Joe Johnson continued to struggle shooting the ball as well. When the Nets win easily, it's usually because JJ is on his game, and shooting well but this seems to be a rarity. JJ went 1-7 from 3 point land, and only started to hit jump shots in the 4th. Along with his iffy shooting, he seems scared to attack the basket, and didn't shoot one free throw. Infact, outside of Deron who shot 10 free throws, the Nets shot a combined 13 free throws.

It was also questionable rotation decisions by Avery Johnson in the 4th quarter that led to this loss. Blatche who played well, sat a little more than half the 4th quarter from 8:43 to 2:32. Blatche, who had been playing well all night, was substituted for Kris Humphries. The rationale was that they needed defense on the court, however that is something Humphries and the rest of the Nets didn't do all game. Along with this, Jerry Stackhouse played 30 minutes and finished with 8 points on 2-6 shooting. Stackhouse played down the stretch in the 4th quarter and hardly contributed at all.

After losing to both the Thunder and Heat, it's clear the Nets are not yet in their tier. They will have to get healthy and make improvements both on offense and defense but it was good to see where they stand against the NBA's elite.

Up next for the Nets are the 10-7 Warriors, who come to Brooklyn on Friday.

Nets Can't Handle the Heat in Miami

sun-sentinel.com

Nets vs. Heat Post Game Recap 12/1

The Nets were unable to handle the Heat in South Beach without Lopez, as their winning streak has been snapped at five games with the 102-89 loss on Saturday night.

After a very good first half for the Nets it was the polar opposite in the second half, as with their fifth game in seven days the Nets looked tired and were hammered after halftime being outscored 52-30.

The Miami Heat’s two superstars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade came to play against the Nets with both of them having great games. Wade was the leading scoring in the game putting up 34 points on 14 for 20 shooting with seven assists. James had one of his classic overall good games scoring 21 points on eight for 15 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists.

The Nets were led on offense by Andray Blatche getting his second straight start for the injured Lopez, as Blatche had yet another strong game scoring a team-high 20 points on eight for 12 shooting with eight rebounds.

Deron Williams shooting woes continue to hamper his play, as Williams only scored 11 points on a bad three for 11 shooting, but did notch his seven double-double of the season which leads the team because Williams did a good job setting up teams earning him 12 assists.

Joe Johnson had yet another poor game against the Heat like earlier in the season, as Johnson who has been playing well didn’t do that on Saturday only scoring 12 points on five for 14 shooting, as in two games against the Heat Johnson is only nine for 28.

Gerald Wallace had another pretty good on the offensive end despite not shooting the ball from three-point land well only going one for six, Wallace was able to score 13 points on five for 11 shooting with nine rebounds.

The Nets will have another tough task on Tuesday night, as they will have to play last years Western Conference Champions the Oklahoma City Thunder and their superstar Kevin Durant, with it still being unclear weather or not Brook Lopez will be playing.

Nets Beat Magic to Extend Winning Streak

sbnation.com

Nets vs. Magic Post Game Recap 11/30

The Nets were able to go down to Florida and keep their winning streak alive making it five straight wins by beating the Magic 98-86, as the Nets finish off a great month of November going 11-4.

The Nets were led by another stellar game from Joe Johnson who has played much better in four of his last five games. Johnson scored a game-high 22 points on 10 for 16 shooting, and added five assists.

With Brook Lopez sitting out with his foot injury Gerald Wallace really picked up the scoring slack for the Nets. Wallace caught fire from the field scoring 20 points on seven for nine shooting including five for six from beyond the arc.

Andray Blatche seemed to slide into the starting rotation at center for Lopez with no problem, as Blatche continued his good play this time with the starting five by scoring 14 points on six for 14 shooting, and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Deron Williams with his banged up wrist didn’t look for his shot to much in the game only shooting the ball nine times, but did only have to play 30 minutes much less than normal, and hopefully the wrist will heal soon for Deron.

The bench unit without Blatche didn’t do much scoring, but Reggie Evans once again had a great rebounding game off the bench grabbing 10 rebounds making it his fifth straight game with double-digit rebounds.

The Nets will be in for a big test on Saturday against the defending world champion Miami Heat team, as the Nets will be without Brook Lopez and their winning streak maybe in serious jeopardy.

Nets Survive a Fight in Boston

nydailynews.com

Nets vs. Celtics Post Game Recap 11/28

The Brooklyn Nets were able to pick up their 4th straight win in Boston over the Celtics 95-83, as the Nets showed that they are in fact a good team, and won’t be pushed around by the Celtics.

The Nets showed some serious toughness in the second quarter after a harmless Kris Humphries foul on Kevin Garnett lead to Rajon Rondo pushing Humphries in to the stands with a semi-brawl starting out, as Gerald Wallace got involved with Rondo and Garnett coming to the aid of Humphries. The fighting led to Rondo being ejected for the Celtics, and Humphries and Wallace being ejected for the Nets.

On a basketball note the fighting overshadowed an impressive win for the Nets who after a big win over the Knicks at home went up to Boston and won by double-digits, and had a 16 point lead at the time of the ejections.

Joe Johnson picked up the slack for the Nets after the ejections of two members of their starting five, as Johnson bounced back from a poor game against the Knicks to lead the Nets in scoring with 18 points on six for 14 shooting, and added six assists with four rebounds.

Deron Williams struggles with shooting the ball continues due to the right wrist injury, as Williams only scored eight points on three for 12 shooting, and could probably use some time off to get the wrist right.

Brook Lopez had to leave the game early after hurting his foot in the third quarter, and is expected to miss two games, but on a note the injury doesn’t appear to be related to the one that kept him out most of last year. Before Lopez had to leave the game he was having one of his better rebounding games of the season, as he had 10 rebounds in just 17 minutes.

With most of the starting lineup having to leave the game early the Nets got a huge lift from their bench which outscored the Celtics bench by a huge 52-18 margin.

Jerry Stackhouse has certainly found the fountain of youth with his second straight monster game off the bench, as Stackhouse went five for six from downtown with a couple of free throws for 17 points.

Andray Blatche with no Lopez or Humphries for most of the game made the most of getting his extra minutes. Blatche had a nice double-double off the bench scoring 17 points on seven for 14 shooting with 13 rebounds.

Up next for the Nets will be the Orlando Magic, as the Nets will look to keep their winning streak going, and avoid a let down against a poor Magic team.

Knicks Lose OT Thriller in Brooklyn

Monday, November 26, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 89 Brooklyn Nets: 96 OT

Knicks Lose Round 1 in OT Thriller

The Knicks lost the first round of the new found rivalry between them and the Nets 96-89 in an overtime thriller any basketball fan would have enjoyed.  Tonight’s game was the make-up from the season opener that was canceled because of the damage done by Hurricane Sandy.

The loss is hard enough to take, but losing Jason Kidd before the game to back spasms and then Ronnie Brewer to a dislocated finger in the fourth quarter made the loss that much harder to take. 

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The Knicks struggled mightily without Kidd, as the ball movement was not as crisp and more pressure was put upon Raymond Felton and Carmelo Anthony.  It was the first and not the last time Kidd will be out, as he isn’t making the trip to Milwaukee for Wednesday night’s game, and it showed.

Felton struggled with his shot all night, going three of 19 from the field and only getting five assists.  Deron Williams, Felton’s counterpart for the night, severely outplayed him throughout the night, as Williams struggled from the field shooting six of 17, scoring 16 points, but handed out 14 assists. 

The Nets assisted on 23 of their 37 baskets, compared to just 14 assists of 33 baskets for the Knicks.

One reason for the lack of assists was the offensive load was placed on the shoulders of Anthony and the multiple isolation situations he was placed in.  Anthony had to get open on his own and do everything basically on his own as Felton was unable to get the pick-and-roll game going.

The Nets threw everything they had at Anthony from the start, constantly double-teaming him as Anthony scored only four points in the first quarter; the first quarter Anthony has dominated all season, scoring 11 points per game in the first frame.  

Anthony heated up in the middle frames and early in the fourth quarter, as he finished with 35 points on 11 of 25 shooting from the field.  Anthony also added team high 13 rebounds, as the Knicks as a whole got working on the glass in the fourth quarter after sorely being out hustled there the first three quarters.

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Unfortunately for the Knicks, Anthony ran out of steam towards the end of the night, as he didn’t score a field goal the last seven minutes of the game.  Anthony also uncharacteristically missed free throws, going 10 of 16 from the charity stripe, missing four in the fourth quarter and overtime alone.

So much pressure was put on Anthony because Felton had an off night and the bench was atrocious.  The bench combined for only 13 points, never getting it going on the offensive end.  They didn’t match the energy level or intensity of the Nets bench either, as Reggie Evans grabbed 12 rebounds, five of the offensive variety.  

Marcus Camby in particular struggled with the energy level of Evans, as he was ineffective in his five minutes on the court, not securing a rebound and turning the ball over twice and committing two fouls.

J.R. Smith and Steve Novak were unable to get anything going on offense, combining to shoot just three of 10.  Smith did have seven rebounds, but the Knicks sorely missed his scoring punch with Felton struggling so much.  Novak struggled on the defensive end yet again, constantly losing his man for wide open three point attempts from the short corners.

Rasheed Wallace continued the trend, going just two of 11 from the field as he joined the long list of Knicks who were unable to get it going Monday night.  He grabbed eight rebounds, but didn’t have the normal impact on the game he had been having throughout the early part of the season.

The Knicks were -8 with Wallace on the court in large part because of his old college teammate Jerry Stackhouse.  Stackhouse knocked down four of five three point attempts, ending the night with 14 points and the best +/- of the night at +13.

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The only person to help Anthony in the scoring column Monday night was Tyson Chandler, who set a career high with 28 points.  Chandler went 12 of 13 from the field and set the tone from the start scoring eight points in the first quarter.

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Chandler came into the game with a lot of intensity, the only player who matched the level of the Nets for the whole night.  Chandler had his presence felt while he was on the court, as he grabbed 10 rebounds in addition to his 28 points, adding one assist and two steals as well.

The Knicks head back on the road with a game in Milwaukee against the Bucks Wednesday night at 8:00 P.M. ET.  The Knicks will not have Jason Kidd again and potentially could be without Ronnie Brewer as well, possibly leaving the Knicks thin in the backcourt against a team that sports Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis as their starting backcourt. 

Nets Down Knicks in Overtime

ph.sports.yahoo.com

Nets vs. Knicks Post Game Recap 11/26

The Brooklyn Nets were able to win the first battle for New York against the Knicks in overtime 96-89, as with the win the Nets and Knicks are now both (9-4) atop the Atlantic Division.

Deron Williams despite the sprained wrist lead to another poor shooting game came thru in the clutch for Brooklyn while notching his sixth double-double of the season. Williams scored 16 points on 6 for 17 shooting, but had a season-high 14 assists, and was getting M-V-P chants while icing the game for the Nets at the line in overtime.

Center Brook Lopez in a battle with last years defensive player of the year Tyson Chandler had yet another great game offensively. Lopez finished the game scoring 22 points on nine for 20 shooting with 11 rebounds, and five blocks.

Joe Johnson who looked like he was starting to find his groove after two big games of scoring fell short in the big game against the Knicks. Johnson only scored eight points on three for 12 shooting.

Gerald Wallace had his best game of the season contributing on the offensive and defensive end of the court. Wallace finished with a season high 16 points on six for 13 shooting, and added two steals and two blocks.

The bench for the Nets outplayed the bench for the Knicks led by Jerry Stackhouse who at the young age of 38 showed he’s still got some game left in the tank. Stackhouse outscored the Knicks bench on his own, as he finished with 14 points on four for six shooting with all four baskets being three-pointers. Reggie Evans also had yet another monster game of rebounding, as he grabbed 14 rebounds in just 18 minutes.

The Nets will have to turn their attention to yet another Atlantic Division opponent, as they will be facing the Boston Celtics on Wednesday who will be looking to avenge the loss the Nets handed them earlier in the season.

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets November 26

Monday, November 26, 2012

Pre-Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets

After blowing out the Pistons Sunday afternoon, the matchup that everyone has been waiting for in the tri-state area has finally arrived.  The Knicks and Nets will face off for the first time tonight, making up the opening night game that was canceled because of the storms earlier in the month.  This matchup will be determined by which team plays more defense, as both teams have offensive fire power.  Here are some things to watch for:

-Control the Paint

The Nets sport one of the best offensive big men in the NBA in Brook Lopez, who is averaging a team high 19.0 points per game.  Andray Blatche comes off the bench and offers some punch as well, scoring 9.0 points per game.

The Nets also sport two guards in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson that are above-average at getting into the lane and attacking the rim.  Emphasis will be on Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and J.R. Smith to slow these guys down.

Kris Humphries is also super active in the middle, which can cause a problem for the undersized Carmelo Anthony.  Look for Mike Woodson to learn from his mistakes in Houston and give some more run to Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas.  The bulk of the big man minutes will be given to Tyson Chandler and Rasheed Wallace, but pairing them together with another big would be beneficial against a team like the Nets.

-Bench Play

The Nets bench, which was a question mark coming into the season, has been a spark plug thus far this season led by Blatche, MarShon Brooks and C.J. Watson.  The second quarter, when the Nets subs play the most, the Nets sport a +5.0 scoring differential, compared to a -0.9 for the Knicks, their only negative quarter.

The Knicks defense needs to be consistent from the starting lineup to the second unit.  The second unit has seen lapses at times on the defensive end and struggle scoring at times, two things that cannot happen against a team playing as well as the Nets.

The Knicks bench is no slouch, led by J.R. Smith and Steve Novak.  Smith offers a legit scoring threat while Novak has deadly long range shooting.  If Novak can bring his shooting from Sunday afternoon to this game, the Knicks have a deadly weapon for their offense and a huge momentum changer; every time Novak touches the ball and releases a shot, the crowd goes into a buzz.

-Will Defense Show Up?

The Knicks have struggled on the defensive side of the ball the last three games against lower tiered teams and if that happens tonight the Knicks will be hard pressed for a win.  The Knicks have surrendered over 100 points in their last three games and cannot afford to do it a fourth straight time if they want the victory tonight. 

The Knicks have to get their rotations right, as the combination of poor defense against the three point shot and a team that shoots a healthy amount of three pointers is a deadly combination.  The Knicks give up the second highest percentage of three point shooting; at 39.9 percent while the Nets shoot 20.3 three pointers per game and 32.5 percent on the season.

Knicks Bounce Back, Blow out Pistons

Sunday, November 25^th, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: Detroit Pistons: 100 New York Knicks: 121

Knicks Bounce Back, Blow out Pistons

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The Knicks didn’t exactly bounce back on the defensive end of the ball against the Pistons, but it didn’t matter much as the Knicks were unstoppable on the offensive side, dropping 121 on Detroit en route to a blowout victory.  The Knicks gave up an average of 122.5 points in their last two games, giving up 100 for the third straight time but they were able to cause problems for Detroit; the Knicks forced 19 Detroit turnovers and converted them into 33 points.  The Pistons also became the fifth straight team to lose at Madison Square Garden this season by double-digits.

Carmelo Anthony came out scorching from the start again, as he scored 15 points in the first frame in the most dominant of fashions.  Anthony went for 15 points in the first quarter, following up an 18 point first quarter Friday night against the Rockets.  In the quarter, Anthony went six of seven from the field, knocking down all three of his three point attempts.

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Anthony would finish the game with a game high 29 points, adding two rebounds, three assists and one steal.  A glaring stat is Anthony’s high turnover number again, which was six this afternoon.  That makes 20 turnovers for Anthony in his last three games, something that will need to get lower as the Knicks will not be able to stay in the game with better competition with turnovers that high.

Steve Novak has been struggling thus far this season, but Sunday afternoon he was on.  Novak went for a season high 18 points, knocking down five of his seven three point attempts.  Novak also showed up in the box score in other places, something he hasn’t done recently, getting two rebounds, two blocks and one steal. 

If Novak has his shooting stroke back it gives the Knicks a deadly weapon.  Novak is a perfect floor spacer for the offense that the Knicks run, but he has to be making his three point attempts as his shooting ability is really the only thing that he brings to the table.

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J.R. Smith didn’t allow Novak to be the only shining star off the bench, as he had another strong game for the Knicks.  Smith hit only three of eight shots from the field, but attacked the rim consistently, getting to the foul line for eight attempts and knocking them all down for 15 points.

Where Knick fans are happy is that Smith stuffed the stat sheet and helped the team in other ways than just scoring.  Smith grabbed a team high 10 rebounds, while handing out five assists and getting a steal.  Smith is an x-factor this season for the Knicks and when he has performances like Sunday afternoon, they will be tough to beat especially when Iman Shumpert and Amar’e Stoudemire return from injury. 

Another strong performance was put forth by Raymond Felton as well, notching his second double-double in three games as he went for 14 points and 10 assists.  Felton also added four rebounds, two steals and a very impressive zero turnovers. 

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Outside of Anthony, the Knicks ball security was as great as it has been throughout the season, as the rest of the Knicks combined for only five turnovers. 

Rasheed Wallace also returned from his sore foot and had a big impact on the game, as he scored 15 points off the bench to go with one rebound, steal and block.  Marcus Camby also got into the game, playing five minutes and grabbing three rebounds. 

Overall, the Knicks shooting was lethal from everywhere on the court.  The Knicks shot 48.1 percent from the field and 17 for 33 from the three point line, good for 51.5 percent.  They also shot an impressive 28 for 31 from the foul line, good for 90.3 percent. 

Next up for the Knicks is the first game against the Brooklyn Nets for the season Monday night at 7 P.M. ET.  It is the first of four meetings between the teams this season and a game fans of the Knicks would like to see them dominate. 

Nets Rally Late to Beat Trail Blazers

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Nets vs. Trail Blazers Post Game Recap 11/25

The Brooklyn Nets were able to pickup their second straight win beating the Portland Trail Blazers 98-85, as the Trail Blazers were without their star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge who sat out with back spasms.

The Nets were led by shooting guard Joe Johnson who had his second straight nice game, as it seems he is starting to get into a groove with his new team. Johnson led the Nets in scoring with 21 points on 10 for 19 shooting, and added four assists.

Deron Williams who is still banged up, and far from 100 percent healthy didn’t shoot the ball well again, but that didn’t stop him from recording his 5th double-double of the season. Williams finished scoring 15 points on four for 13 shooting, but had 12 assists, and a career-high four blocks.

Kris Humphries had a solid game for Brooklyn notching a double-double with 14 points on seven for nine shooting, and had 10 rebounds.

Gerald Wallace had a disappointing first game against is former team, as Wallace missed his first seven shots from the field finishing the game going one for eight with only two points, and a rebound.

Brook Lopez had another strong game continuing his good start to the season thus far, as Lopez scored 15 points on seven for 14 shooting with eight rebounds, and two blocks.

Reggie Evans had yet another strong game off the bench rebounding, as in just 22 minutes Evans grabbed 14 rebounds making it three out of the last four games Evans has had double-digit rebounds.

Next up for the Nets will be the New York Knicks on Monday in the Barclays Center in the highly anticipated match-up that was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.

Nets Return Home and Beat Clippers

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Nets vs. Clippers Post Game Recap 11/23

The Nets were able to return home after a disappointing West Coast trip, and beat the Los Angeles Clippers who have been playing very good basketball 86-76, as the Nets certainly like playing in the Barclays Center improving to (5-1).

The second half was all Brooklyn, as they outscored the Clippers 46 to 29, and even won the third quarter battle something that they have been struggling to do.

The 2012 Olympic gold medal teammates Deron Williams, and Chris Paul met again, and even though Chris Paul outplayed the banged up Williams the Nets were still able to get the win. Williams scored only 11 points on a bad three for 10 shooting, but did add eight assists, and appeared to hurt his wrist in the game as well to add to his nagging injuries thus far. Chris Paul did play better than Williams but not by a large margin, as Paul scored 14 points on five of 11 shooting, and added nine assists with five rebounds.

Joe Johnson came to play on Friday night shaking off his struggles in the early part of the season for a nice game scoring 19 points on eight for 12 shooting, as when Johnson plays well the Nets are going to be an extremely tough team to beat.

Brook Lopez had another big game offensively showing that when healthy he is definitely a top five offensive center in the NBA, as he put up a nice game against one of the better defensive centers in the league in DeAndre Jordan. Lopez scored a game-high 26 points on 13 for 24 while adding three blocks, and five rebounds.

Reggie Evans had a nice game off the bench against the Clippers the team he played for last year, as Evans had 12 rebounds and six points in just 22 minutes.

The Nets will look to keep their great home play going on Sunday, as they will face the Portland Trail Blazers, and their star rookie point guard Damian Lillard.

Nets Lose Final Game on West Coast Trip

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Nets vs. Warriors Post Game Recap 11/21

The Nets finished up their three game west coast trip losing to the Golden State Warriors 102-93, as the Nets finished the west coast trip only winning one out of the three games.

The Nets got off to a hot start shooting 73 percent in the first quarter, and a 30-18 lead heading into the second quarter, but went cold after that. The third quarter once again was a killer for the Nets, as they continue to be the worst third quarter team in the NBA by getting outscored 33-20.

Offensively the Nets were lead by their young center Brook Lopez who shot the ball very well from the field, as he scored a team high 22 points on 10 for 16 shooting, but Lopez didn’t contribute much on the boards only grabbing three.

The backcourt match-up of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson vs. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson went in the favor of the young Golden State back court in a big way.

Deron Williams who is battling an elbow injury only scored nine points, and shot four for 12 from the field, and couldn’t stop the Warriors point guard Curry who scored a game-high 25 points on seven for 13 shooting.

The Johnson vs. Thompson match-up was just as bad for the Nets, as the point guard match-up was. Johnson continued his poor play thus far this season, as he scored 13 points on five for 13 shooting, and let the young Thompson score 23 points on 10 for 19 shooting.

Gerald Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse both sat out this game to rest for the upcoming home-stand, as without Wallace the Nets are a noticeably worse team on the defensive end of the court.

On the second game of the back to back Avery Johnson used eight guys off the bench, and got good minutes from Andray Blatche who scored 11 points with seven rebounds, and four assists. MarShon Brooks also played good off the bench scoring nine points on four for eight shooting, and added two steals.

The Nets will be heading back home to the Barclays Center where they have played good this season, as they will be facing the Clippers which means the Chris Paul Deron Williams match-up will be in the spotlight.

Nets Winning Streak Snapped by Lakers

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Nets vs. Lakers Post Game Recap 11/20

The Nets were unable to hold a fourth quarter lead in the Staples Center against the Lakers, as the Nets five game winning streak came to an end losing to the Lakers and their new coach Mike D’Antoni 95-90.

In the anticipated match-up of centers Dwight Howard and Brook Lopez the Nets center did very well against the person he highly rumored to be traded for in the off-season. Lopez finished the game against the best defensive center in basketball scoring 23 points on 11 for 18 shooting, and grabbed seven rebounds.

Deron Williams had a double-double scoring 22 points, and dishing out 10 assists, but Williams did not shoot the ball well going 6 for 18 on Tuesday night.

The other part of Brooklyn’s star backcourt Joe Johnson like Williams didn’t shoot the ball well from the field continuing the trend of the season so far for Johnson, as Johnson scored 14 points on 6 for 16 shooting, but did dish out six assists. Johnson was outplayed badly by Kobe Bryant, as the Black Mamba had 25 points on 8 for 15 shooting.

Nets small forward Gerald Wallace made his presence felt on the defensive end of the court, as Wallace was able to get five steals, and three blocks both season highs for Wallace thus far.

The second half for the Nets was not good, as they shot 1 for 13 from beyond the arc, and only scored 33 points in the second half making it very hard to win games when u score under 40 points in a half.

The Brooklyn Nets will look to bounce back in the second game of the back to back, as they will be facing the Golden State Warriors in the final game of their west coast trip on Wednesday.

Bench Leads Nets Past Kings

Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings Post Game Recap 11/18

The Brooklyn Nets were able to start their three game west coast trip with a win against the Kings beating them 99-90 despite the Nets starting five playing pretty poorly for the most part.

Deron Williams even though being banged up was one of the starters who actually played well against the Kings, as Deron filled out a nice stat sheet with 14 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds, but didn’t shoot it well from the field only going 4 for 12.

The other part of Brooklyn’s backcourt Joe Johnson had his worst game of the season thus far going a horrendous 1 for 10 from the field only scoring 10 points.

In the match-up of two young centers Brook Lopez was outplayed by DeMarcus Cousins, as Lopez only had 13 points on 5 for 14 shooting with five rebounds compared to Cousins who had 29 points on 12 for 21 shooting with seven rebounds.

Gerald Wallace made his return to the lineup after missing six games with a sprained ankle, but didn’t do much in his return only getting four points to go along with his four turnovers.

The Nets bench left its mark on this game with three great games from Andray Blatche, MarShon Brooks, and C.J. Watson. Blatche lead the Nets in scoring having a remarkable game scoring 22 points on 11 for 12 shooting. The backcourt combo of Brooks, and Watson both also scored very well scoring a combined 27 points on 9 for 15 shooting, as the bench unit was the real difference in the game.

The Nets next game will be against the Lakers in the Staples Center, as they will be facing the man that they most coveted in the off-season Dwight Howard.

Nets Win Shootout Against Cavs

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Nets vs. Cavaliers Post Game Recap 11/13

The Nets were able to win their third straight game in a high scoring game against the young Cleveland Cavaliers 114-101, as the Nets improve to (4-2) on the season.

A much anticipated match-up between Nets star point guard Deron Williams, and one of the best young players in the league Kyrie Irving lived up to the hype with both players putting up eye popping stats. Deron Williams had his best game of the season thus far notching a double-double with 26 points on 10 for 20 shooting, and added 10 assists. Even though Deron had a nice game he was outplayed by Kyrie Irving who had 34 points on 9 for 19 shooting, and eight assists.

The center match-up of Brook Lopez and Anderson Varejao also turned out to be a great one in this game. Lopez played well scoring 23 points on 10 for 14 shooting with seven rebounds, and four blocks. As well as Lopez played it was seemed like nothing compared to Varejao who very well may have had the best game of his career on Tuesday scoring 35 points on 16 for 21 shooting, and grabbed 18 rebounds in the monster double-double.

The difference maker in the game was Joe Johnson who hasn’t played well heading into Tuesday, but got it going for the Nets. Johnson scored 25 points on 9 for 16 shooting with six assists, and five rebounds. Johnson had an amazing fourth quarter scoring 16 points with three straight three-pointers.

The Nets bench played well against a poor Cavaliers second unit, as Andray Blatche lead the Nets bench with a very good game scoring 13 points on 4 for 7 shooting, and added five rebounds with three blocks.

Gerald Wallace and MarShon Brooks both did not play again with their sprained ankles, as it was Wallace’s fifth straight game out, and the third straight for Brooks.

The Nets will look to continue their winning ways at home on Thursday, as the Boston Celtics will be coming to the Barclays Center.