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Pierce was unstoppable tonight, scoring a game-high 25 on 9-of-11 shooting (5-of-5 from 3-point range) |
Three nights after one of their easier wins of the season, the Nets got another one, as they rolled the Bobcats by 16 at Barclays tonight in a game that wasn't even really that close. Paul Pierce was on point and on fire from the floor, leading the way with 25 points and was a major factor in the 3rd quarter Brooklyn won 35-19, an advantage used to blow Charlotte right out of the building.
The Nets, and the Bobcats for that matter, both started this game hitting a lot of their shots, as the first quarter was a high-scoring one (30-29 in favor of the Nets). Brooklyn jumped out to a nine-point lead late in the frame but Charlotte stormed back with a 12-4 run to end the first.
Then, Mirza started off the second quarter with a three–one of his three on the night–as the Nets' bench propelled Jason Kidd's squad to a sizable lead that approached double digits a few times but eventually settled at six (50-44) by the time halftime set in. Overall, a pretty good half for the Nets but they could have easily been up 15 after two quarters as they missed too many open jumpers that a surprisingly-porous Bobcats defense was giving to them.
The second half was a totally different story. Brooklyn scored the first eight points of the third quarter, going up 60-44, and compiled a 13-2 extended run as well. The lead only swelled after that point, as the Nets (i.e Joe Johnson, Deron, and Pierce) got insanely hot from 3-point range, hitting six long balls in the quarter and ending up with an insurmountable 22-point lead. The Bobcats didn't mount much of a comeback in the final frame, so the win was safely in the hands of the Nets, who are now just two games under .500.
Some other observations I had from the game: As I mentioned before, Pierce played great but so did Kevin Garnett. KG scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting in just 15 minutes. He's been great lately and his jumpshot is going in at a highly consistent clip. The floor spacing he provides when he scores is invaluable to the starters…..Mirza and AK each grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Not a surprise for Kirilenko, who was everywhere on the court tonight and creating a lot of defensive havoc, but a decent surprise for Mirza, who had a decently well-rounded game this evening. It's good to see from him….Deron was just 4-for-11 from the floor but hit some jumpers, which is important to see from him as his confidence is improving.
Looking Ahead
The Nets look to enter the All-Star break on a good note, as they battle the Bulls in Chicago tomorrow night. If they win that game, the Nets will have won five of their last six contests.
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