Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 72 – NBA Blog

Celtics easily handle Nets in Brooklyn

Rajon Rondo lost his cool, and any chance at history, in the second quarter when Boston last met Brooklyn.

This time, the second period featured some of the best basketball the Celtics have played this season.

Rondo scored 19 points in his first full game against the Nets this season, and the Celtics won 93-76 on Tuesday in another game with some heated moments between the division rivals.

Rondo, sidelined in the first meeting and thrown out of the second after shoving Nets forward Kris Humphries into the courtside seats, outplayed counterpart Deron Williams and helped the Celtics take control early…

Rookie Jared Sullinger tied a career high with 16 points and Jeff Green had 15 for the Celtics (14-13), who avoided falling under .500 with just their second victory in six games.

The Celtics took control with a 23-5 run in the second quarter of the opener of their four-game road trip. They had 11 assists on 13 baskets and outscored the Nets 34-18 in the period after dropping the previous two meetings…

Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez each scored 15 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. Struggling to find anything that worked, they played Lopez and fellow center Andray Blatche together with three guards at one point, but Brooklyn shot just 41 percent and committed 20 turnovers that led to 25 points.

Williams had only 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting and Joe Johnson, his partner in a high-priced backcourt, shot 4 of 14 for his 12 points.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Kris Humphries out for two games

Brooklyn Nets power forward Kris Humphries will miss the next two games with a mild abdominal strain, coach Avery Johnson said Tuesday.

Humphries will not play against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday afternoon and will not make the trip to Milwaukee for Wednesday night’s game against the Bucks. He will be re-evaluated when the Nets return from Milwaukee, Johnson said.

Humphries visited with doctors Monday after experiencing issues with his abdominal muscles.

— Reported by Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

Nets may give Brook Lopez, Andray Blatche more time together

The changes that began with benching Kris Humphries and inserting Keith Bogans into the lineup for Sunday’s win over the 76ers won’t end there.

Nets coach Avery Johnson hinted at a more new looks for his team following yesterday’s light practice at the team’s facility ahead of today’s noon matinee against the Celtics at Barclays Center, with the most notable change being the potential for Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche to see the floor at the same time.

The two have barely been on the floor together at all this season, as Johnson has almost exclusively played with one of them manning the center spot at all times, and switching in and out for one another, when both have been healthy. But Johnson made it sound like that will change, possibly as soon as today.

“That’s something you’re going to see,” Johnson said.

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Joe Johnson scores 22 points, Nets beat 76ers

Nets coach Avery Johnson used the previous three days to give his team some rest after Brooklyn dropped nine of its last ten games.

The Nets got in some practice time and Johnson’s staff looked over recent game film, adding some new plays to an offense that has struggled this season.

It paid off Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joe Johnson scored 22 points, including 10 in the third quarter, Gerald Wallace had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists and the Nets held on to beat the 76ers 95-92.

Avery Johnson came away pleased with the performance after the Nets had coughed up leads in the second half during their recent stretch of loses…

The Sixers rallied from eight points down in the final 40.5 seconds left, but Brooklyn didn’t fold.

”We definitely needed it. We just needed to get back in the winning track, especially in our building. It was good for us tonight,” said Deron Williams, who added 16 points to help the Nets end a six-game losing streak at home against Philadelphia…

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds, Thadeus Young added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Evan Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds. The 76ers, opening an eight-game trip, have dropped six of their last seven games…

Nets F Kris Humphries was projected to be in the starting lineup but was replaced by F Keith Bogans. Wallace slid over to the power forward spot as Avery Johnson preferred to go with a smaller lineup, something he had been working on over the stretch of days the team had off.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Nets recall Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor from D-League

The Brooklyn Nets have recalled forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor from the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King. The two players were assigned to Springfield on December 21.

In the rookies’ first career D-League action last night vs Erie, Shengelia notched a triple double (22 points, 10 rebounds,12 assists), while Taylor poured in a team-high 32 points.

Both players are expected to practice fully with the team today in preparation for Sunday afternoon’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kidd discusses D-Will`s shooting struggles

Jason Kidd and Deron Williams have a lot in common, starting with a friendship, an agent, a basketball position and summer homes in the Hamptons.

They’ve also both played under Avery Johnson, and it seems they’ve shared a discomfort with the coach’s system.

But Kidd, who clashed with Johnson during their short tenure together in Dallas, said Williams’ struggles this season aren’t about play-calling.

“I don’t think it has anything to do with the coach,” Kidd said Thursday. “I think it’s just a matter of getting comfortable making shots. Also, he has new teammates. He’s got to get used to a new crew. It’s always a growing period.

“He’s a grownup. He’ll figure it out. All things don’t go well right away sometimes. He’s just going through a struggle shooting the ball, but he’s one of the best at what he does, so he’ll work through it.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets assign Tornike Shengelia and Tyshawn Taylor to D-League

The Brooklyn Nets have assigned forward Tornike Shengelia and guard Tyshawn Taylor to the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by General Manager Billy King.

Shengelia, acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers after being drafted 54th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, has appeared in five games this season, scoring 10 points with two rebounds.

Taylor, a rookie out of Kansas, has made 10 appearances on the year, scoring 13 points with three steals and two assists.

Both players will be in uniform when the Armor take on the Erie BayHawks tonight at the MassMutual Center in Springfield.

Avery Johnson working to make Deron Williams more comfortable in Nets offense

Nets coach Avery Johnson said after Tuesday’s morning shootaround that he’s already privately heard the criticisms Deron Williams leveled at his offense following Monday’s practice, and is already trying to rectify it.

“I think we’re putting more and more stuff in that he’s familiar with, and getting back to some of those things, a lot of the things he did in his Utah system,” Johnson said.

“But at the end of the day, when the shots are going down, everybody feels better about the team and their individual game.”

Williams spoke at length Monday about the offense the Nets are running, and that’s it has been an adjustment for him from the system he was running in Utah under former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

But while Williams didn’t back away from any of the comments he made Monday, he did claim that the media had overblown them.

“You asked me about Utah, my time in Utah, [and] I’m not going to bad-mouth Utah,” Williams said.

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

Shawne Williams arrested in Raleigh on drug charges

Former Memphis Tigers basketball star and NBA player Shawne Williams was arrested Thursday in Raleigh after police reported finding marijuana and codeine cough syrup in his car.

An officer was on routine patrol outside a Cricket wireless store in the 3400 block of Austin Peay near the Raleigh Springs Mall. The officer approached Williams in his nearby Porsche Panamera after smelling marijuana, according to a police affidavit, and the 26-year-old Williams was asked to exit his vehicle.

Williams then said, “Officer I ain’t gonna lie to you, there’s a blunt in the car and some syrup,” according to the affidavit.

Police reported finding inside the car a partially smoked marijuana blunt, another blunt that had not been smoked, and a bottle containing 83 grams of codeine cough syrup, for which Williams did not have a prescription.

— Reported by Scott Carroll of the Memphis Commercial Appeal

Melo scores 45, Knicks beat Nets in Brooklyn

Now, this Knicks-Nets rivalry is really on.

If it hadn’t started when the Nets left New Jersey and set up shop in the Knicks’ city, it surely arrived when Jason Kidd delivered the tiebreaking 3-pointer Tuesday night, making himself an enemy of his former franchise.

”I hate him,” Nets guard Deron Williams said.

Williams was kidding, the point guards are friends. But Nets fans who watched Kidd ask out of the organization and Carmelo Anthony refuse to come could easily work up more dislike of the Knicks after watching those two Tuesday.

Anthony scored a season-high 45 points, Kidd made the tiebreaking shot with 24 seconds left, and the Knicks rallied from an early 17-point hole to beat Brooklyn 100-97.

Kidd finished with 18 points against his former team, who used to dominate the Knicks when he played in New Jersey. He pumped his fist afterward in what he said was as much emotion as he shows, though denied taking any special pleasure in beating the Nets…

Andray Blatche scored 23 points in place of Brook Lopez, who missed his sixth straight game with a sprained right foot. Williams added 18 points and 10 assists, and Reggie Evans grabbed 18 rebounds, but the Nets lost their fifth straight.

Gerald Wallace scored 17 points, but both he and Williams missed potential tying 3-pointers on the last possession after Kidd broke a 97-all tie with his 3-pointer from the left side while being fouled by Jerry Stackhouse.

Kidd missed the free throw in an otherwise terrific effort for the 39-year-old point guard who helped carry the Knicks while fellow point guard Raymond Felton was struggling through a 3-for-12 night. Kidd had six rebounds and six assists, playing 38 minutes.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press