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Gerald Wallace, SF 35 MIN | 4-15 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 10 PTS | +16
I know Gerald Wallace had a double-double game with 27 points a couple of weeks ago. But in terms of pure impact on both ends of the floor, he matched that intensity and impact tonight. He did a little of everything tonight: he shut down Danny Granger, made smart rotations defensively, attacked the rim and spaced out as the situations called for it, and even got into it a bit with Lou Amundson after a made layup. Which brings me to my one continuing concern: that Gerald Wallace, since he came to the Nets, has missed a lot of layups. That didn’t change tonight, either. |
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Kris Humphries, PF 32 MIN | 5-11 FG | 2-3 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +10
Humphries has had issues with stretch 4’s this season, but outplayed West tonight when the two were matched up. He had a little trouble with Hibbert, but Hibbert played ineffective basketball anyway. A solid bounce-back game for Humphries after his rough outing Monday. |
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Deron Williams, PG 37 MIN | 11-19 FG | 4-4 FT | 3 REB | 9 AST | 30 PTS | +21
Took over in the fourth quarter, hitting midrange jumpers off isolation action and pick-and-rolls. Found Humphries and Gerald Green for a few easy shots. Was clearly the best player on the floor at all times, something we haven’t always seen, and seemed much more comfortable playing off Gerald Wallace in screen sets. Tonight, we saw the Deron Williams that, hopefully, we’ll get accustomed to seeing. |
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MarShon Brooks, G 34 MIN | 7-13 FG | 3-4 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 17 PTS | +16
Broke out of his offensive slump early, hitting eight quick points in the first quarter, and continued scoring well all game. Hit some shots in the fourth quarter that helped turn the game into a blowout. |
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Gerald Green, SG 28 MIN | 6-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 14 PTS | +16
The Nets look to the Green Machine as a shooting spark off the bench, and sure enough, he delivered again. If only that insane alley-oop went down. |
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Five Things We Saw
- So, we all expected a blowout in which Johan Petro scored key baskets in the fourth quarter after half the Nets’ big man rotation went down with injuries to body parts above the nose, leaving just eight suited players in the second half, right? We all saw this coming? Cool? Cool.
- The Nets built their second-quarter lead on the Deron Williams-Gerald Wallace screens. On one possession, Crash got an open three from the action (he missed), but a Jordan Williams rebound led to another opportunity, which Crash rolled off for a layup. Later, Crash’s diving to the basket drew in Gerald Green’s defender, which opened up a look and an open three. If this becomes the norm, the D-Will/Crash pick-and-read is going to start paying serious dividends.
- Shelden Williams took a shot to the right eye in the first half, ran off-court and into the locker room, didn’t return, and was taken to Hackensack Medical Center for further evaluation. No official word yet. Jordan Williams left in the third with concussion-like symptoms.
- The Nets continue to have no answer for Paul George — and looking down their roster, you can’t find one. Looking down most rosters, you can’t find one. How do you defend a 6’11” shooting guard who’s quicker than every wing you have, and apparently isn’t affected by the notoriously poor sight lines at the Prudential Center. George is now 9-12 from deep at the Prudential Center this evening.
- The Nets ran Green around curls multiple times in the third quarter, and Green took full advantage, hitting jumpers inside and out in rhythm. He also nearly put down the kind of alley-oop that makes parents throw their kinds into bunkers to save them from the collateral damage of the state buildings suddenly shattering. Thankfully, he missed it, and Gerald Wallace calmly laid in a perfectly nice layup.
