The New Jersey Nets (22–43) won’t be making the playoffs this year, but they sure are looking to close the season on a high note with their fifth win in a row on Monday night 88–79 against the Eastern Conference’s leading team the Boston Celtics (47–18).
It was an unexpected win by many counts and gives the Nets their longest win streak since the 2007–2008 season.
The Nets have been hot over the last two weeks but their wins have been against less talented teams in the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors; three of the wins were by fewer than five points.
Add to that Boston’s defensive domination against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, where the team set a new franchise record for least points allowed (56) since the implementation of the shot clock, and the prospects of a Nets win seemed quite low.
“We had a good two wins in London, came back and I wasn’t a part of the other two [wins] but the team played great. But it was against non-playoff teams and we wanted to see where we were really at. This was a good victory for us tonight,” Deron Williams told YES after the game.
Those two wins in London, England that Williams referred to were against the Toronto Raptors on March 4th and 5th and were the first NBA regular season games ever to be played in Europe.
The Nets were all business against Boston on Monday night with the exception of the second half of the first quarter, where Boston soared on a 14–0 run to lead 23–14.
After that the Nets got back in it offensively and defensively, outscoring Boston every quarter. The second and third quarters were very tight in scoring with several ties and lead changes until the Nets surged ahead on a Sundiata Gaines 3-point buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter.
“The thing about [Sundiata] is that he just has so much confidence in his abilities. He’s making the most of this opportunity, playing great basketball as he did when we were teammates in Utah,” Williams said after the game.
The Nets extended their lead to as much as 12 points in the fourth quarter until Boston made a comeback in the last few minutes, but the Nets were able to keep them at bay. Williams had a huge 3-pointer with about a minute to go that sealed the win.
The Nets were very effective at shutting down the offense of Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Pierce shot just 2–10 in field goals for the night and Rondo shot 1–10 despite more than 30 minutes of playing time apiece.
Kris Humphries had another great game for the Nets, recording a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds to add to Williams’s 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. Humphries’s strength and good hustle made all the difference, and he was joined down low by Brook Lopez who put on some good post moves to finish the night with 20 points.
The Celtics were led by Ray Allen with 19 points and Kevin Garnett with 18 points. Glen Davis had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds coming off the bench, a performance that has become expected of Boston’s sixth man.
It was an unexpected win by many counts and gives the Nets their longest win streak since the 2007–2008 season.
The Nets have been hot over the last two weeks but their wins have been against less talented teams in the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors; three of the wins were by fewer than five points.
Add to that Boston’s defensive domination against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, where the team set a new franchise record for least points allowed (56) since the implementation of the shot clock, and the prospects of a Nets win seemed quite low.
“We had a good two wins in London, came back and I wasn’t a part of the other two [wins] but the team played great. But it was against non-playoff teams and we wanted to see where we were really at. This was a good victory for us tonight,” Deron Williams told YES after the game.
Those two wins in London, England that Williams referred to were against the Toronto Raptors on March 4th and 5th and were the first NBA regular season games ever to be played in Europe.
The Nets were all business against Boston on Monday night with the exception of the second half of the first quarter, where Boston soared on a 14–0 run to lead 23–14.
After that the Nets got back in it offensively and defensively, outscoring Boston every quarter. The second and third quarters were very tight in scoring with several ties and lead changes until the Nets surged ahead on a Sundiata Gaines 3-point buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter.
“The thing about [Sundiata] is that he just has so much confidence in his abilities. He’s making the most of this opportunity, playing great basketball as he did when we were teammates in Utah,” Williams said after the game.
The Nets extended their lead to as much as 12 points in the fourth quarter until Boston made a comeback in the last few minutes, but the Nets were able to keep them at bay. Williams had a huge 3-pointer with about a minute to go that sealed the win.
The Nets were very effective at shutting down the offense of Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo. Pierce shot just 2–10 in field goals for the night and Rondo shot 1–10 despite more than 30 minutes of playing time apiece.
Kris Humphries had another great game for the Nets, recording a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds to add to Williams’s 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. Humphries’s strength and good hustle made all the difference, and he was joined down low by Brook Lopez who put on some good post moves to finish the night with 20 points.
The Celtics were led by Ray Allen with 19 points and Kevin Garnett with 18 points. Glen Davis had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds coming off the bench, a performance that has become expected of Boston’s sixth man.
