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| This simply says it all, D-Will shows Lin who the best point guard in the Tri-State area is Photshop creds to @NJ4Life of SBNation |
Simply wow. I have to keep this recap a little short cause its kinda late but all you need to know is that the Nets, especially Deron Williams, walked into a jam-packed MSG and shut-down the confident Knicks who had won 8 of 9 games overall and the last 5 meetings between themselves and the Nets. Carmelo Anthony’s return from injury was also spoiled but he was mainly ineffective in the New York offensive system.
Overall, it was a really physical and scrappy game but was taken over and decided by the unconscious shooting effort by D-Will, who scored a season-high 38 points with a career-high eight 3-pointers. After a slow start to the game in which New Jersey found itself down 13-3, the Nets mounted an extended 77-48 run which extended their lead to 19 points by the end of the 3rd quarter. In the 3rd, Deron simply went off from long-range and built up the large lead with 18 points, 10 of which came during a one-minute span of the quarter. During that minute, D-Will hit three 3-pointers and even a free throw to convert a 4-point play off of one of the shots.
Jeremy Lin got his 21 points on poor 7-for-18 shooting along with 9 assists and 7 rebounds but mainly seemed to be bottled up by D-Will and the other Nets to guard him, especially DeShawn Stevenson who played his best game as a Net. DeShawn hit a few huge 3-pointers in the 1st half to give the Nets their original lead. He ended up with 14 points while Marshon Brooks found his shooting stroke again with a solid 18-point performance. Kris Humphries controlled the interior with 14 points and 14 boards as he and Shelden Williams were able to relatively limit Amare and Tyson Chandler’s rebounding and scoring impacts on the game. The duo also got Chandler in early foul trouble which made the game much easier for the rest of the team.
Tonight was a true team effort in every sense of the term as basically every Net who entered the game had a positive impact. even Johan Petro. Sundiata Gaines ran the offense decently when D-Will had to sit on the bench due to foul issues and Anthony Morrow hit a huge, clinching 3-pointer in the 4th quarter to secure the win. This kind of win makes me proud to be a Nets fan as we shut-up our cross-river (soon to be intra-city) rivals who were feeling a bit too confident with their team heading into this game.
Looking Ahead
The Nets return home on Wednesday for their last game before the All-Star break, a match-up with the Orlando Magic which will undoubtedly be surrounded by trade talk. I’m excited to see how this team can perform coming off of last night’s great performance.
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