3 in a Row! Nets beat Kings 111-99
The New Jersey Nets went into last nights game at the Sacramento Kings trying to so something they havent done all year……win 3 in a row.
Coming off a big come from behind win at Golden State the night before could not stop the Nets from coming out a bit slow on the defensive end and got lost in transition multiple times. Anthony Morrow came out of hibernation (shoulder) to hit 2 1st quarter threes and were down 35-31 after one.
Nets stormed back in 2nd by shooting 68% for the quarter and applying the defensive pressure from the previous night while stopping the Kings fast break lead them to a 59-56 halftime lead. The Nets went into half with a whopping 38 points in the paint coming from all different players like Petro/Wallace/Hump/JWilliams.
Gerald Wallace has been a god send to the Nets and ever since his arrival you can see the players listen to him and his experience. At one point in the third quarter he pulled aside Gerald Green and Anthony Morrow on separate occasions to explain to them what they did wrong and how they can correct it. This leadership is a breath of fresh air and I am sure no one enjoys it more than Deron Williams as he can’t be the only veteran to help lead this team into the future. Deron and Gerald look to have a great relationship already and I havent seen Deron smile this much in a year and a half. The game is fun when everyone is playing offense and defense on the same page and Gerald Wallace’s passion and energy is spreading throughout the locker room.
Led by Wallace again the Nets outscored the Kings 32-20 in 3rd to take a 91-76 lead into 4th and looked to have a good flow going. Deron Williams was picking and choosing his spots to score and distributing again with 19 points/15ast/6rebs and with Wallace(18pts/6reb/3ast/2stl) and Humphries (14pts/12rebs/2ast/2blk) doing the job in the paint while holding DeMarcus Cousins in check with 14pts and 9 rebounds.
The Nets held off multiple runs late by the Kings and they cut it to single digits midway thru 4th but Morrow had an answer all night with his clutch and timely 3 pointers to leave him with 24 points and he went 6-11 from behind the line. Wallace lead the defensive resistance late in the game and made a huge rebound while falling to the ground in a scramble and calling a timeout. His presence has done wonders for the younger Nets players and it is paying off well as the Nets beat the Kings 111-99.
3 IN A ROW
Notes: Johan Petro had his best game as a Net with 12pts-5rebs-4ast and 2 blocks (crazy to say that I know but it really did happen)
New Jersey now rolls into LA to face the Black Mamba and the Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday night @10:30pm.
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