 |
| Hump got the minutes he wanted, and he shined in them |
Through three quarters today at the Barclays Center, it looked like the Nets' five-game winning streak would inevitably get cut short against a Pacers team that was just playing with a little more effort and energy and was executing better in all aspects of the game. But alas, the Nets would eliminate that premature supposition with a stunning fourth quarter reversal, once which won them yet another game and increased their current streak of successes to six in-a-row. Without Gerald Wallace due to a gruesome rib injury suffered in Friday's win over the Suns, the undermanned Nets were able to overcome adversity and fight through some scoring slumps to win the final period 28-11 en route to a pretty easy victory.
Brooklyn didn't look great in the early going, letting Indiana gain a 17-11 advantage in the first six minutes+ of the game, and allowing guys like George Hill and David West to get wide open shot opportunities. Then, after a well-placed full timeout by interim coach extraordinaire P.J. Carlesimo, the Nets flipped the switch and scored 16 of the next 20 points to take a six-point lead into the second quarter. Then, when the Nets brought their second team, still without Mirza Teletovic, into the game, the Pacers pounced, playing stifling defense and causing Brooklyn to take some bad shots and get out of their offensive rhythm. Just scoring 19 points in the quarter, the Nets watched their lead slip away as they headed into halftime down three points after Jerry Stackhouse missed an open corner three-pointer at the buzzer.
As per much of this season, the third quarter wasn't much better as about the only good thing to come from it was the foul troubles of Roy Hibbert, Paul George, and David West. The Nets just came out really flat out of the half and allowed a hungry Indiana team to seize control of the game and built its lead to a high of eight points (71-63), where it would remain around for the remainder of the third.
Then, in the fourth quarter, the Nets looked like a brand new team. After a quick bucket by Ian Mahinmi, Brooklyn scored the next 17 points as part of a 18-0 starting in the third quarter. That run gave the Nets a 86-77 advantage which they would never look back from and hold until the end of the game. Brook Lopez woke from his extended slumber/cold spell from earlier in the night to hit a few long jumpshots that helped seal the game's fate as a Brooklyn triumph. Joe Johnson also helped the cause by hitting some massively important threes down the stretch, further confirming the fact that he has shaken off his weird, ineffective performance from the beginning of his Nets tenure and is starting to hit his stride.
Some other observations I had from the game: The Nets defense, mostly perimeter speaking, suffers terribly when Gerald Wallace doesn't play, something that is very clear. However, the Nets were able to make up for his absence in the fourth quarter especially, holding Indiana to just 11 points as Brooklyn showcased swarming and relentless defense that gave the Pacers no room to run any sets to speak of…..Brook Lopez had a pretty bad first half scoring-wise but made up for in the fourth quarter with some huge jumpers and tough rebounds that held Indiana to one shot a possession and really sped up the time coming off that all-important game clock. He played like a big boy tonight and was much better than Roy Hibbert, his Indiana counterpart…..D-Will and Joe both played very well too, scoring 22 and 20 points respectively, combining for a +20, and hitting all their foul shots. Just the kind of game you expect from your stars…..Kris Humphries finally returned and made an impact in 17 minutes, scoring 10 and grabbing nine boards, oh so close to a double-double. The right mindset to have when your playing time gets drastically cut is to play amazing when you do get time, which is exactly what Hump did…..C.J. Watson scored eight points, made all four of his field goal attempts, and collected four boards in 20 minutes, in addition to leading a few momentum-building fastbreaks which couldn't be accurately represented in the box score. The speed and quickness he brings to the Nets is priceless in that it provides a nice discrepancy from D-Will's playing style, which is more of a halfcourt-set mentality…..Other than a ridiculously high alley-oop, Gerald Green didn't fare very well against his former team, scoring 15 points on just 5-13 shooting. He looked a little overhyped, to be expected in his situation…..Also, Lance Stephenson (a Coney Island, Brooklyn native) hurt his ankle in the first quarter and only played six minutes. Note: He went to the same high school as Stephon Marbury, Sebastian Telfair (Lincoln), and even Marv Albert!
Looking Ahead
The Nets stay at home to take on the resurgent Toronto Raptors at the Barclays Center on Tuesday. A win would be Brooklyn's 7th-straight.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
