Nets snap two-game skid with 108-97 win over Cavs

After dropping the last two games on the road, both in overtime, the Nets returned home to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a win, the Nets would have won 12 straight games at home, and they pulled off that feat with a dominating performance in a 108-97 victory, but it wasn't as close as the score depicts.

Paul Pierce was the Nets' offense in the first quarter, scoring 17 points in about six minutes of play, but would go to the locker room for the rest of the quarter with an apparent hip injury. He returned to action in the second quarter.

After a 9-0 run to start the quarter in the first minute and thirty seconds, the Nets took an 11 point lead over Cleveland before the Cavs were able to come back to tie the game at 29 at the end of the first.

With both teams lacking defense, it seemed like every shot taken was going to go in. Especially for the Nets, whose shooting percentage never dipped below the 50 percent mark throughout the 48 minutes. They finished the game shooting 54.9 percent from the field.

It was one of those games where every active player for the Nets scored at least two points. That does, in fact, include Jason Collins, who even attempted a three pointer that looked good out of the hands.

It wasn't the starters that impressed as we thought they would when they started the first quarter as hot as they did. After his 17 point first quarter, Pierce finished with just 22 points in only 20 minutes of action. The Nets' bench out-scored Cleveland's 48-18, lead by Alan Anderson's 13 points.

Brooklyn's dominant second quarter display put them up big going to the second half, and even though the Cavs played the better basketball in the second half, the Nets were still able to hold a lead, as they lead wire-to-wire.

Shaun Livingston continued to impress everyone tonight, as he finished with a near triple-double. He had eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists to go along with three steals, which put him at a +28 for the game.

Something the Nets didn't do tonight that they have been doing perfectly since the turn of the calendar is forcing turnovers. They forced just 12 tonight, and usually they need to have those active hands in order to win games since they are a terrible rebounding team. They actually out-rebounded the Cavs tonight 41-35, but they gave up 10 offensive rebounds, which is usually what kills them.

Final Score: 108-97 NETS
Most Disappointing Stat of the Game: 17 total turnovers.
Promising Stat of the Game: Out-rebounding Cleveland 41-35
Scariest Moment of the Game: Paul Pierce going to the locker room with an injured hip.
Best Moment of the Game: Paul Pierce's 17 points in six minutes. 
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