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 At that point, the Nets were going through a stretch of 12 losses in
15 games. They also did not have point guard Deron Williams healthy,
center Brook Lopez was coming off the bench and forward Thaddeus
Young was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, the forecast for making the playoffs appears brighter for the
Nets after Lopez, Williams and Young combined for 76 points in a
106-96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night in a
makeup game from Jan. 26.
"I just think that with Brook and Deron, they are both healthy,
healthier as the season has gone on," Brooklyn coach Lionel Hollins
said. "They have more confidence in what they can and can't do.
Brook has stepped up, Deron has stepped up and Thaddeus has just
been good for us since he has been here. He is just kind of a
garbage man."
The Nets won for the seventh time in eight games and rebounded
nicely from Saturday's 31-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Brooklyn
(36-41) also moved one game ahead of eighth-place Boston in the
Eastern Conference with five games remaining.
"We are just playing consistent basketball and we got a ways to go,"
Hollins said. "We are trying to close the door on those other teams
and the only way that you can do that is by winning."
Lopez led the Nets with 32 points, including several baskets on
maneuvers he seemed physically incapable of earlier this season.
Williams added 24 and 10 while continuing to thrive in the
pick-and-roll with Lopez. Young contributed 20, giving the Nets more
space for easier baskets than they had before acquiring him for
Kevin Garnett at the trade deadline.
"Everything is just there," Lopez said. "I feel in a lot better
shape. I'm just moving great and confidence also helps just as
well."
"I think at times we're playing well together," Williams said. "Our
chemistry definitely has improved, our pick-and-roll game has gotten
a lot better. We have played here for a long time but a lot of it
has been when he's been out or when I've been out."
The trio were a combined 32-of-59 from the floor and totaled 19
points during the fourth quarter when the Nets faced threats to the
lead they held for the final 31:53. Portland point guard Damian
Lillard, who had 36 points on 14-of-26 shooting and forward Meyers
Leonard (17 points, 15 rebounds) were the biggest obstacles for the
Nets putting the game away earlier.
Lillard helped get a 22-point deficit down to 12 with four of his
six 3-pointers in a span of about three minutes. Leonard scored 11
straight points for Portland early in the fourth slicing a 77-64
Brooklyn lead to 83-75.
"I was really proud of the way we competed tonight," said Trail
Blazers coach Terry Stotts, who rested forwards LaMarcus Aldridge
(left thumb sprain), Nicolas Batum (back) and center Chris Kaman
(right thumb sprain). "Brooklyn is playing at a very high level
right now."
Each time Leonard or Lillard made a play, the Nets had a response
from someone.
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Leonard hit a turnaround jumper in the lane with 4:38 left but the
Brooklyn scored the next seven, getting floater by Lopez at the 4:25
mark, a 3-pointer by Williams with 3:48 remaining and a thunderous
one-handed dunk by Young 47 seconds later that extended the lead to
96-83.
Even that didn't clinch the win for Brooklyn. A dunk by Leonard and
another 3-pointer by Lillard made it 96-88 with 2:20 remaining but
Brooklyn got a step back jumper from forward Joe Johnson and a
reverse layup from Lopez for a 100-88 edge with 85 seconds left.
Johnson, who had missed his first nine shots and was scoreless until
his jumper, finished it off by making four free throws in the final
minute.
NOTES: Brooklyn C Brook Lopez was named the Eastern Conference
player of the week for the second straight week. He is the first
player in Nets history to win that award in consecutive weeks. ...
Asked about talking trash to his twin brother, Portland C Robin
Lopez said: "I just do that with my game, I let my game do the
talking." ... The Nets announced that F Earl Clark was re-signed to
a two-year contract. During his 10-day contract stint, Clark shot 9
of 26 from the floor. ... Since Portland rested key players such as
F LaMarcus Aldridge, F Nicolas Batum and C Chris Kaman, the topic of
potentially losing home-court advantage came up and coach Terry
Stotts said: "I'd prefer to have it but last year we won our series
without home court. You put all your eggs in for home court and then
if you don't get it, what are you telling yourself, that you can't
win. Things play out the way they play out." ... Brooklyn G/F Alan
Anderson missed his second straight game with a sprained right
ankle. Anderson was injured with about six minutes remaining in the
fourth quarter of Friday's 114-109 win over the Toronto Raptors. ...
Monday marked the first time in team history that the Nets' starting
five did not have a turnover since the NBA began tracking that stat
in 1977-78.
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