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 With forward Kevin Garnett, center Brook Lopez and center Andray
Blatche ahead of him on the depth chart, there was doubt the
6-foot-11 rookie forward out of Duke would get much playing time.
"A lot of people have said that to me," Plumlee said. "As a player
you always prepare to play. You have your own vision of how things
are going to happen. ... I was just like, 'I'm going to be ready to
play when they need me, try to earn some minutes and go from
there.'"
Where Plumlee went Sunday night was a different stratosphere,
scoring a career-high 22 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to help
spark the Nets to a 93-81 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the
Barclays Center.
"He's a rookie so he's going to have his ups and downs, but he's got
a great group of guys in that locker room who are always trying to
help him make the game as easy as possible," Nets coach Jason Kidd
said. "Tonight you could see that with him setting picks and his
ability to roll and finish. It's something he can build on and get
better at."
Plumlee threw down a variety of highlight-reel dunks, including a
right-handed stuff off a pass from Jason Terry in the second quarter
that was the veteran guard's 5,000th assist of his career.
"It's a tribute to how long I've been in this league," Terry said.
"I feel very blessed to play this long. When you play this long, you
hit milestones and I've had some great teammates along the way that
can contribute to that success."
Plumlee was part of a second unit that had three players score in
double figures — guard Alan Anderson and forward Mirza Teletovic
scored 13 points apiece — as the bench scored 59 points, the third
highest total of the season.
It was the first time in their NBA history the Nets won a game
without a starter scoring in double figures, according to Elias
Sports Bureau.
"I thought they played great," Kidd said of his second unit. "Just
talking to the coaches, they played like they did in Detroit. They
executed. I think they gave the starters a big lift because they got
the lead, they built the lead and they kept the lead."
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Pelicans forward Anthony Davis had a game-high 24 points on 11-of-19
shooting, and he grabbed nine rebounds. Guard Brian Roberts had 12
points and guard Austin Rivers added 10 points and five assists for
New Orleans (22-28), which shot 36.1 percent from the field.
"We just didn't play well tonight," Davis said. "We know it, the
coaches know it, everybody knows it. ... It starts with defense. We
can't come out tonight like we did and expect to win."
The Nets (23-26) scored the first 11 points of the game, capped by a
jumper from Garnett at the top of the key. The Pelicans missed their
first seven shots from the field and were held scoreless for the
first 4:51 until Davis dunked in transition while getting fouled.
Led by Plumlee, who scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and grabbed
seven boards in the first half, the Nets had a 51-28 lead at the
half.
"Tough first half, obviously, we scored 28 points," Pelicans coach
Monty Williams said. "It was a lack of discipline on a number of
things — the weak-side defense against the pick-and-roll
situations, free throws, rebounding, couple that with a lot of guys
missing a lot of open shots tonight."
When New Orleans, which pulled within seven points in the third
quarter, rallied to outscore the Nets 32-20 in the third, Kidd came
out with his second unit to start the fourth quarter and put the
game away.
NOTES: Pelicans coach Monty Williams was impressed with the play of
F Luke Babbitt, who had five points, six rebounds and two blocks in
his debut in a 98-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
The 6-foot-9 third-year pro was signed as a free agent on Feb. 4.
"He's not afraid and he can shoot the ball," Williams said before
Sunday's game. "He made some good plays that don't show up on the
stat sheet." Babbitt scored nine points Sunday. ... The Pelicans
entered the season with the fewest average games of NBA experience
among all NBA rosters. Nets coach Jason Kidd was asked before the
game about his concerns facing younger teams this season. "I think
pretty much all the teams are younger than us," he said. ... In the
second quarter, Nets G Jason Terry became the 10th active player to
record 5,000 career assists. ... The Pelicans continue a three-game
road trip at Toronto on Monday night. ... The Nets play host to the
Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night.
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