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 Still, there is no denying the Brooklyn Nets guard is playing
some of the best basketball of his career.
On Monday night, he did a little bit of everything to help lead the
Nets to a 108-102 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Barclays
Center.
"I'm trying not to jinx it and think about," Livingston said. "It's
a situation where I know where I've come from mentally as well. I
just want to continue to play with the same confidence. I give
credit to (coach) Jason (Kidd) as well because I talk to him every
day, and just getting a chance to pick his brain gives me
confidence."
Livingston, who seven years ago suffered a debilitating knee injury,
lit up the stat sheet Monday with 13 points, eight assists, a
career-high seven steals and six rebounds in a shade less than 37
minutes.
"I was just trying to be active in the passing lanes," Livingston
said. "I've been on the wing, obviously guarding some of the better
scores. I was just trying to be active, be disruptive, help my
teammates and be in the right spots on defense."
Livingston was the defensive catalyst for the Nets, who had 15
thefts, becoming the first team in the NBA this season to record 13
or more steals in three straight games. It is the fourth time in
franchise history the Nets did so, and the first time since 1990.
Veteran forward Kevin Garnett had a season-high five blocks,
becoming the 18th player in NBA history and second active player to
record 2,000 career blocked shots. He added six points and seven
rebounds.
"The guys are executing the game plan," Kidd said. "It's team
defense, their hands are active."
Guard Paul Pierce scored a game-high 25 points, guard Deron Williams
had 21 points and six assists, and forward Mirza Teletovic added 20
off the bench for the Nets. Brooklyn (21-25) snapped a three-game
losing streak despite being short-handed because of injuries.
"Today was especially tough because we didn't have a lot of
players," Teletovic said. "The starting five got out, and on the
bench there were like three people left. It's very important we
pulled together, everybody talked to each other and just helped out
to get a win."
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Philadelphia rookie guard Michael Carter-Williams scored 21 points,
guard Tony Wroten had 18 points and six rebounds, forward Thaddeus
Young had 17 points, and swingman James Anderson added 12 for
Philadelphia, which committed 26 turnovers en route to its third
consecutive defeat and sixth in seven games.
"I can't. I wish I could, you know," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown
said when asked to explain the 76ers' 26 turnovers, which led to 32
points for the Nets. "It continues to haunt us. We have to get more
responsible with the ball. I have to do a better job."
The 76ers (15-34) trailed by as many as 19 in the second half, but
they stormed back to pull within two points twice late in the fourth
quarter.
"Anytime we start taking care of the ball and playing each and every
position like it's very valuable to the team, it's easy for us to
get back in games like this," Young said. "They're a very good team,
very solid defensive team with KG anchoring their defense."
The Nets responded each time — first with an 18-footer by Williams
and a Teletovic layup as he was fouled. His three-point play gave
Brooklyn a 102-95 lead with 2:59 remaining.
Anderson buried a 3-pointer to bring the 76ers within 104-102 with
22.7 seconds left, but Pierce and Livingston each knocked down two
free throws in the final seconds to seal the win for Brooklyn.
NOTES: Brooklyn's Jason Kidd was selected the Eastern Conference
Coach of the Month. "It's a very nice recognition, but it's for
those guys who are playing and those guys are playing very well
right now," he said. ... G Joe Johnson (right knee tendinitis), F
Andray Blatche (bruised left hip) and F Andrei Kirilenko (sore right
calf) were out for the Nets. ... After handling personal business in
Boston, G Michael Carter-Williams returned to the 76ers' lineup. ...
Philadelphia coach Brett Brown is targeting late February/early
March for C Nerlens Noel's NBA debut. The 6-foot-11 rookie, who is
recovering from left knee surgery, is able to participate in limited
on-court work. "I hope he never has this opportunity again, but
we've taken advantage of it and I'm proud of his commitment to it,
his buy in, and I think we're starting to see results."
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