More Stones Crop Up on Nets' Rocky Road
PHILADELPHIA - The Nets could have used an easy week, a rare thing during a losing season. And with three games against two subpar teams, it seemed cautiously possible.
But few things have been easy for the Nets this season, and their game here Friday was the latest example as the 76ers' Evan Turner sank a driving layup at the buzzer to send the Nets to a 121-120 overtime loss.
Sandwiching two games against the 76ers around a game at home against the Washington Wizards, the Nets went only 1-2 this week and fell to 9-17 over all.
The Nets crushed the 76ers last Monday at Barclays Center to earn a much-needed blowout win. But Friday's game possessed a wholly different character, full of errant passes and lackadaisical leaps by the Nets, who seemed halfhearted and hurt themselves in myriad ways. The 76ers, at least, looked somewhat enthused.
The Nets were outrebounded, 49-36. They let the 76ers score 66 points in the paint, while producing just 30 of their own. They went just 21 for 30 from the free-throw line.
Alan Anderson scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Nets, but his effort was wasted in a tense overtime period.
With 2 minutes 30 seconds left in overtime, Michael Carter-Williams sank two free throws to give the 76ers a 116-115 lead. Carter-Williams then found Thaddeus Young in the corner for a 3-pointer, pushing the lead to 4.
But Deron Williams went one-on-one against Carter-Williams and hit a long jumper. After a series of 76ers misses, Williams fed Paul Pierce for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.9 seconds remaining. Two nights after Pierce played one of his best overall games in a Nets uniform, it appeared he had hit his most important shot.
After the 76ers took the ball downcourt, Anderson blocked Turner's layup attempt, but the 76ers retained the ball with 6.3 seconds left. Turner circled the perimeter of the court, drove across the baseline to the left of the basket and flipped up a shot that bounced around the rim before dropping through.
Extending a season-long trend, the Nets were short-handed Friday night. Besides the long-term injuries to the reserves Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry, the Nets were without shooting guard Joe Johnson, who missed the game because of personal reasons, and forward Kevin Garnett, who was given the night off.
The Nets used their 12th starting lineup of the season. (Last season, they used just 13.) Pierce, who came off the bench during the previous five games, returned to the starting lineup, and Mirza Teletovic was handed his second career start. Pierce had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Teletovic set personal highs with 18 points and six 3-pointers.
Johnson took over the Nets' 36-point victory over the 76ers on Monday night, making 10 3-pointers en route to a 37-point night. Until Friday, Johnson was the only Nets player to start every game this season, but his absence gave the game a different dimension from the start.
Philadelphia also welcomed Carter-Williams, a dynamic rookie, back to its lineup. Carter-Williams averaged 17.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 3.1 steals during his first 15 games, but he missed the 76ers' past 11 games because of a bacterial skin infection on his right knee.
Before beating the Nets late, Turner heated up early, scoring 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting through the first two quarters to shepherd Philadelphia to a 60-57 halftime lead.
The Nets carried an 83-82 lead into the fourth quarter and found themselves with a chance to win in regulation. With the score tied, 108-108, Williams pulled down the rebound off Carter-Williams's short miss, and the Nets called timeout with 5.5 seconds remaining. Williams took a contested jumper at the buzzer that clanged off the side of the rim, and the game went to overtime.
The Nets could have used an easy week, considering the difficulty of their upcoming schedule.
They will play the Indiana Pacers on Monday night at Barclays Center before hosting the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day, then finish the homestand Friday against the downtrodden Milwaukee Bucks. After that, they will embark on a difficult road trip featuring games against the Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
But as Friday showed, the Nets have done nothing easily this season.
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