It was the Nets’ first game home after a tough, 1-3 Western swing. But before the game, Williams wasn’t so sure it was good to be back. “I don’t know,” Williams said before the game. “We haven’t won here. I don’t know how to answer that.” In an attempt to get more comfortable with their surroundings, the Nets broke from their routine and held shootaround at Prudential Center on Wednesday morning — they usually shootaround at their practice facility for home games. “I mean it doesn’t feel like a home arena,” Williams said. “So, getting shots here will probably get us more used to the arena. It’s just not a basketball arena. It’s just not a basketball background. So, it feels different.”
Andy Vasquez, The Bergen Record — Nets beat Warriors, 107-100, for first home win of the season
Despite the developing potential in that duo, the Nets have struggled to establish themselves with a rag-tag group in the frontcourt. The first part of this season has been about trying to survive as center Brook Lopez recovers from a fractured foot. Wednesday morning, coach Avery Johnson was upbeat about Lopez progressing nicely in his rehab and he looks forward to getting him back. But just how long the Nets will have Lopez is uncertain, however. Having already been mentioned as trade bait for super star center Dwight Howard, Lopez is unlikely to have his rookie contract extended before the Jan. 25 deadline, Nets general manager Billy King said. “I’m sure I’ll have a conversation with his agent (Arn Tellem),” King said. “But I don’t know if we’ll do anything with him at this point. I think you just have to wait. They may throw a number at you that makes sense.” Lopez will now likely become a restricted free agent July 1. The Nets can still extend Lopez then with a one-year qualifying offer and he would become an unrestricted free agent after the 2012-13 season. The fact that Lopez fractured his foot in the preseason and was expected to miss six to eight weeks for rehab played a role in that decision, King said.
Kristie Ackert, New York Daily News — NJ Nets win first game at Prudential Center this season behind Deron Williams’ 24 points, 10 assists vs. Golden State Warriors
So the Nets point guard stepped up. And his backcourt mate, the rookie, MarShon Brooks, stepped up, too. Throw in another double-double from Kris Humphries and the Nets ended up finally getting their first home win of the season tonight, knocking off the Golden State Warriors, 107-100, before an announced crowd of 12,570 in Newark. “It feels good to get a win at home,” Williams said. “It’s something we desperately needed. If you want to be a good team, a playoff team, you’ve got to protect your home court. And we hadn’t done a good job of that before this game.” This game, though, they got everything they needed from all the people they needed it from: Williams had 24 points and 10 assists, plus eight rebounds; Brooks had career highs in points (22) and assists (six), plus seven rebounds. Humphries had 18 points and 15 rebounds, plus he blocked four shots and played tough defense against the Warriors’ David Lee, who was held to 12 points and 10 boards. “Deron and MarShon tonight as a backcourt — Wow! That’s all I can really say,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “Forty-six points between them; 16 assists and 16 rebounds and only five turnovers combined. They really played well off of each other.”
Colin Stephenson, The Star-Ledger — Deron Williams leads Nets over Golden State Warriors, 107-100
The Golden State Warriors shot 51.4 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-point attempts and only had 10 turnovers in a 107-100 loss to the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday. Those numbers seem like a recipe for a victory, but not in the case of Golden State. It’s the first time this season a team has shot at least 50 percent from the field and from three-point range with 10 or fewer turnovers and lost the game.
ESPN Stats & Info, TrueHoop — Wizards, Nash, Rubio make NBA history
From an offensive standpoint, the Warriors were efficient and effective in the first half. They shot 52.5 percent from the field – including 6-for-9 from 3-point range — with six players scoring six points or more. And they had 15 assists to just three turnovers. However, it wasn’t one of their better defensive efforts as the Nets shot 52 percent from the floor and they also outrebounded the Warriors 23-12. The Warriors went into halftime up 56-55. In the end, the game was largely determined on the glass, where the Nets had a 45-25 advantage. “The bottom line is you’ve got to get the basketball,” Jackson said. “Kris Humphries (18 points, 15 rebounds) outworked us. Collectively, they wanted it more.”
Matt Steinmetz, CSN Bay Area — Flat fourth spoils W’s road trip in loss to Nets
