Recap: Nets 110, Nuggets 82
That was real, real solid. Good teams beat bad teams, and usually do so in convincing fashion. Thus was the case for the Nets tonight, even with Jarrett Jack and Bojan Bogdanovic sidelined.
The game’s first quarter was less than impressive for Brooklyn, with Denver’s athletic prowess looking like it alone could keep them in contention all night. The Nuggets swallowed up offensive boards and got quite a few transition looks to go. The second quarter was more of the same, until Cory Jefferson checked in with a few minutes to go and sparked a Nets run which carried over into the third, which extended to an insurmountable lead which Brooklyn rode to victory. Denver’s a very bad team, so I wouldn’t encourage any real excitement quiet yet. Though, there were some good signs, especially from the young guys and the general energy of the team.
Oh, yeah, before we get to the grades, the Nets also signed Thomas Robinson today.
Grades:
Joe Johnson: Johnson looked like he had some trouble competing on the boards playing the four for the second straight contest early on, but his offense was cooking from the get-go. He ended up finishing with a strong overall outing, including defensively, scoring 12, blocking three shots, grabbing eight boards and dishing eight assists. A-
Mason Plumlee: Plumlee got into some early foul trouble, but was a shot in the arm for the Nets to open up the second half, finishing pick-and-rolls with veracity on his way to 13 points on 5-5 shooting from the field. B-
Deron Williams: D-Will was terrific tonight. Did a very good job on Ty Lawson given where he is physically, pushed the tempo, found his teammates, all in a 16-point, 12-assist outing. Oh, only two turnovers as well. A
Alan Anderson: Probably the best bad game Alan Anderson has played. Yes, he scored 13 points on nine shots. But he also couldn’t guard a soul all night and tried to throw an alley-oop to Deron Williams. B-
Markel Brown: *inhales* I LOVE THIS GUY PLEASE PLAY HIM MORE FOREVER. Brown gave us the single most exciting performance of any Net all season. He dunked. He hustled. He was stingy on defense. He did this. He finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Four blocks! A
Brook Lopez: I can somewhat handle Lopez’s non-defending, poor-rebounding, never-passing-at-all self when he’s a beast scoring the ball. But when he’s 6-17 from the field? Ugh. C-
Sergey Karasev: Played. Not well, though. N/A
Thaddeus Young: Probably should start soon. Dude had no trouble scoring from anywhere on the court. 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. A-
Darius Morris: Blergh.
Cory Jefferson: Some nights, he just looks out of place. Tonight? Freakish. His athleticism, when utilized properly, creates some devastating results. Seven points, five rebounds and a +14 in nine minutes. A
