Friday, November 30, 2012

Nets at Magic Recap: Finding a Groove

After starting the game slowly in the first half, the Nets' offense exploded after halftime and beat the Orlando Magic 98-86 without leading scorer Brook Lopez. This marks five straight wins for the Nets and is the fifth consecutive game holding the opposing team under 90 points. This win also marks the first time the Nets have beaten Orlando on the road twice in a season since 2003-04.

The first half was not a good one for either team. The presence of Lopez was missed greatly and it was quite obvious. Andray Blatche got the start in his place and did a good job in Brook's spot. The Nets led 45-44 at halftime but the offense struggled the whole way through. Combined with good defense by Orlando, the Nets played very sloppy and had to work hard to keep a lead at halftime.

Things really started to pick up in the third quarter. Both Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace came out firing and never let back. Johnson would finish with 22 points on 10-16 shooting and Wallace finished with 20 points while making a career high tying five three pointers. The entire offense was, what seemed to be, unstoppable the entire third quarter. The bench would eventually come into the game halfway through the fourth quarter when the Nets lead reached 18. Both MarShon Brooks and Mirza Teletovic got some burn in the fourth. Brooks put up four points while Teletovic would make one three pointer.

Reggie Evans would again come off the bench and do what he does best. He grabbed 10 rebounds for the fifth straight game. Evans' presence off the bench is a spark the Nets have lacked for a long time. His hustle and pure rebounding ability are what get the team off and running. It was hard for the "bench mob" to do what they have been doing all season with Andray Blatche in the starting lineup. The entire bench combined for just 20 points on 7-22 shooting.  

Deron Williams is continuing to struggle shooting as he finished tonight with 11 points on 4-9 shooting and seven assists. This is his first game shooting over 50% since the game against Cleveland on November 13th.

For the first time in franchise history, the Nets have won 11 games in the month of November. It was also the first month with 10 or more wins since March of 2006. They have also now had two five game win streaks this season after not having one since February of 2011.

Final Result: 98-86, Nets
Disappointing Stat of the Game: 20 total points from bench
Promising Stat of the Game: Gerald Wallace 5 three-pointers
Scary Moment of the Game: Orlando taking a lead in the 2nd
Best Moment of the Game: Kris Humphries huge dunk over the Magic defense

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