Brooklyn Nets Blog – Page 73 – NBA Blog

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

Brook Lopez remains out for Nets tonight

Nets center Brook Lopez missed a sixth straight game because of a sprained right foot, sitting out Tuesday night against the New York Knicks.

The Nets hoped Lopez would be able to return, listing him Monday as a game-time decision, but coach Avery Johnson said everyone involved decided earlier Tuesday that Lopez was not ready.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Jennings, Ellis lead Bucks over Nets

Brandon Jennings had heard all the talk about how Brooklyn’s backcourt of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson was considered one of the best in the league.

Jennings and his backcourt mate Monta Ellis were aware of the height advantage Williams and Johnson had on them, but the Milwaukee Bucks’ duo showed they belong in the conversation, too.

Jennings scored 26 points and Ellis added 24 as Milwaukee withstood Brooklyn’s fourth-quarter rally and beat the Nets 97-88 Sunday night.

”It wasnt a competition or anything like that,” said Jennings, who also had seven assists and six rebounds. ”We knew they had height advantage … so we wanted to run tonight and use more of your speed.” …

Marquis Daniels had 13 points for the Bucks and Ersan Ilyasova added 10 as Milwaukee won its second straight. The Bucks have beaten the Nets 12 straight times dating back to March 30, 2009…

Williams had 18 points and eight assists and Wallace added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the struggling Nets, losers of four straight.

— Reported by Adriano Torres of the Associated Press

Warriors, coach Mark Jackson beat Nets in Brooklyn

Mark Jackson looked around Barclays Center and saw friends, family and familiar faces from a lifetime of New York basketball.

What he saw on the court was pretty special, too.

David Lee had 30 points and 15 rebounds, Stephen Curry scored 28 points, and the Golden State Warriors gave their coach a winning return to Brooklyn by beating the Nets 109-102 on Friday night.

”Good to be home,” Jackson said, ”and it’s even better to leave out of here with a victory.”

Lee scored six straight points to break open a tie game midway through the fourth quarter, and Curry had 21 in the second half for the Warriors, who won for the fifth time in six games.

Golden State improved to 2-0 on its season-high, seven-game road trip against Eastern Conference opponents, a game played not far from where Jackson became a New York City star…

Joe Johnson scored a season-high 32 points for the Nets, who dropped their season-high third straight. Deron Williams added 23 points and eight assists…

Brooklyn played without starting center Brook Lopez for a fourth straight game because of a sprained right foot. Andray Blatche had 22 points and 15 rebounds in his place…

Jackson was born in Brooklyn, played high school ball at nearby Bishop Loughlin, starred at St. John’s and began his NBA career with the Knicks, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1988. The trip back to Brooklyn hit home, he said, when the team bus passed a McDonald’s where he used to eat after high school home games.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Avery Johnson unfazed by flopping fines against Nets

Avery Johnson unphased by flopping fines against Nets

The Nets are not only the only team to have two players cited for flopping so far this season, but they are the only one to have anyone fined for it.

Although Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans – two of Nets coach Avery Johnson’s best defenders – have already been first warned and then fined $5,000 under the league’s new anti-flopping rules, Johnson isn’t concerned it will impact the way either of them play.

“Not at all,” Johnson said when asked if the fines would change the mentality of either player. “I think there was another warning given, and you’re gonna see more warnings with other teams.

“We’re not getting picked on. We’re a good defensive team. Unfortunately, two of our guys have gotten fined, but both of our guys have guys that have gotten fined, Reggie and Gerald, it’s not gonna affect their play.”

— Reported by Tim Bontemps of the New York Post

NBA fines Gerald Wallace $5,000 for flopping

Brooklyn Nets forward Gerald Wallace has been fined $5,000 by the NBA for flopping, joining teammate Reggie Evans as the only repeat offenders under the league’s new penalty system.

The league also gave Clippers veteran Chauncey Billups a warning Wednesday for falling backward after launching a jumper against Utah with little or no contact.

Wallace was defending a driving LeBron James on Saturday in Miami when he went tumbling backward after James put his right hand on Wallace’s body while dribbling with his left.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Thunder hold off Nets for 6th straight win

Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder looked spectacular most of the night even when the ball didn’t go in.

The blowout didn’t last, but their winning streak did.

Durant had 32 points and just missed what could have been the dunk of his career, Russell Westbrook added 25 points and nine assists, and the Thunder held off the Brooklyn Nets 117-111 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight victory.

Serge Ibaka scored 18 points and Thabo Sefolosha 14 for the Thunder, who revved up the NBA’s No. 1 offense to surpass 100 points in a 10th straight game for the first time in 15 years. They beat the Nets for the seventh consecutive time, but had to work much harder for this win than they have lately…

Deron Williams scored a season-high 33 points for the Nets, who had their six-game home winning streak snapped. They played without starting center Brook Lopez (sprained right foot) and reserve forward Reggie Evans (flu), leaving them without their leading scorer and top rebounder…

Andray Blatche had 19 points and 11 rebounds in Lopez’s place, Joe Johnson scored 17 points, and Kris Humphries had 12 points and 12 boards for the Nets.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press