The Nets played some of their best basketball this season in winning their second game of the year and snapping a six-game losing streak, besting the Raptors 97-85. In a related noted, Deron Williams and Kris Humphries returned to the lineup.
Let’s go around the net and see what others had to say:
Deron Williams got to the line and got everyone involved. Anthony Morrow got some space. Kris Humphries got his usual crowd grief, but also got a boatload of rebounds. DeShawn Stevenson got going early and also got into Raptor DeMar DeRozan’s kitchen. Jordan Farmar got an opportunity and capitalized. Everybody got time, including four guys named Williams, who played together. And as a result last night, the Nets, again shorthanded, got what they absolutely, positively most craved: a 97-85 dismantling of the Raptors to stop a six-game losing streak.
Fred Kerber, New York Post – Teamwork, treys power NJ to win.
It was a different Williams during the six-game losing streak, which the Nets (2-6) snapped in Toronto. After an ugly loss in Cleveland, Williams looked at the box score and threw it aside in disgust, allowing his feet to soak in ice in silence. He sat out Wednesday’s game in Boston with sore ribs — the result of a collision with Indiana’s Tyler Hansbrough — and said he was refreshed by the rest and the opportunity to practice on the team’s off-day Thursday. “We wanted to smile,” Avery Johnson said. “For five or so games we’ve been having a frown on our face and we wanted to smile after a game. We had a good practice yesterday, we cleaned up so many different areas and to get the carryover into today’s game was a thrill for us as a coaching staff.”
Stefan Bondy, New York Daily News – Deron Williams returns, scores 24 points to snap New Jersey Nets’ six-game skid against Toronto Raptors.
“We needed a win in the worst way,” Williams said. “I think everybody realized that.” Yes, this was a total team performance. It started with defense. DeShawn Stevenson headlined in that department, holding the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan to just three points — DeRozan came into the game averaging 18.5. “The player of the game for us [Friday] was DeShawn Stevenson,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “The defense he played on DeRozan was incredible.
Andy Vasquez, The Record – Deron Williams, Anthony Morrow lift Nets past Raptors and end losing streak at six game.
