Pierce Leads Nets to 13th Straight Home Win

philly.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 31st, 2014

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Timberwolves 99 Nets 114

The Brooklyn Nets were once again able to win at the Barclays Center, as with their 114-99 victory over the Timberwolves they have made it 13 straight at the home. The win moves the Nets to (39-33), which is 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

For the second straight game Nets Forward Paul Pierce had a great game, and got off to a hot start once again. Pierce lit it up in the first quarter scoring 16 points, helping the Nets get off to a good start. Pierce finished with a game-high 22 points on eight for 11 shooting, which included him, going five of eight from three-point range. The only downside for Pierce in the game was that he got into foul trouble in third quarter.

Positives:

In the third quarter when the Nets got into foul trouble, Joe Johnson stepped up to help the Nets weather the storm from the Timberwolves. Johnson scored eight points in the third without Deron Williams and Pierce on the court. Johnson finished with 19 points on eight for 13 shooting, and he also became the 15th active player to reach 17,000 career points.

Brooklyn on defense did an excellent job against one of the better players in the league in Kevin Love, who is averaging a double-double on the season, but on Sunday the Nets held him in check. Love finished with just 14 points on five for 14 shooting, and maybe more impressive for the Nets is that they were able to keep in under 10 rebounds, as he finished with nine. As a team the Nets out-rebounded the Timberwolves by one, and even had more offensive rebounds than them.

The second unit for Brooklyn was very good in the win on Sunday, as it got big games from Andray Blatche and Alan Anderson. Blatche finished with 14 points, which led all bench scorers on seven for 11 shooting with six rebounds. Anderson was right behind Blatche with 13 points on five for 10 shooting, and Anderson also added five rebounds.

Negatives:

In what was a good win for the Nets there were few negatives, but Brooklyn was sloppy with the ball, as they turned it over 20 times. The high turnover amount played into the Timberwolves style of play. Corey Brewer and Kevin Martin were able to take advantage of opportunities in the open court, as they both played well in the loss. They each finished with 21 points, as for Brewer he did it on nine for 13 shooting, and for Martin he shot nine for 16 from the field.

Next up for the Nets will be a big test at home on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets.

W2W4: Minnesota Timberwolves vs Brooklyn Nets March 30th, 2014

sportspyder.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

March 30th, 2014

W2W4: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Brooklyn Nets

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Brooklyn Nets will be at home on Sunday evening hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the Nets look gain ground on the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division. The Nets are (38-33) on the season, and still trail the Raptors by 2.5 games.

Match-Up of the Game: Kevin Love vs. Paul Pierce

Nets Forward Paul Pierce is going to have his hands full on Sunday night against one of the most dynamic players in the NBA in Kevin Love. Love is having a monster season for the Timberwolves, as the walking double-double is averaging 26.3 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. Pierce is going to have to worry about chasing Love at the three-point line, and then also box him out on the glass. Love isn’t the greatest defender however, so Pierce should be able to succeed on the offensive end of the court.

- Lucky 13

On Sunday the Nets will be looking to be victorious for the 13th straight time at the Barclays Center, as with the home winning streak it has allowed the Nets to have one of the better home records in basketball. The Timberwolves are one game above .500, but on the road they aren’t the same team, as they are just (15-21) this season. A bad road team heading in the Timberwolves heading to the Barclays Center seems like a good recipe for the Nets.

- Clincher

Brooklyn can lock up a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference tonight if they are able to defeat the Timberwolves, and if their rivals the New York Knicks lose to the Golden State Warriors. The Nets will definitely be a playoff team whether they clinch it tonight or not, but with their great play at home they certainly want to either win the Atlantic or hop the Chicago Bulls in the standings.

- Still Out

Once again the Nets will be without Center Kevin Garnett, who will be missing his 16th straight game with back spasms, and Forward Andrei Kirilenko will be out yet again with a sprained ankle, which will be his fourth game missed in a row.

Knicks Snap Losing Streak With Win Over Timberwolves

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, March 5^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to get a much needed victory and snap their seven-game losing streak Wednesday Night in Minnesota against the Timberwolves 118-106. It was a great team effort put forth by the team tonight as they got going right from the start, never trailing in the game and being engaged from the opening tip through the final whistle. The victory moves the Knicks record to 22-40 on the season and moves them to within six games of the Atlanta Hawks, who play at the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday, for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will look to keep the positive play going Friday night against the Utah Jazz at Madison Square Garden.

Player of the Game: Raymond Felton

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Felton had his best game in a long time and arguably this season as he scored 18 points to go along with eight assists, three rebounds, four steals and one block. Felton played with supreme confidence and energy tonight as he attacked the basket and created easy opportunities for himself and his teammates. Felton’s aggressiveness makes things immensely easier for the Knicks as easy baskets and open jump shots become more readily available. As Felton goes the Knicks go and if they are to make a final push for the playoffs to close the season Felton needs to continue playing close to what he did tonight.

-Positives

T-Wolves Crash Boards, Crush Nets

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

Friday, November 22^nd 2013

Brooklyn Nets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Post Game Recap

Once again the Brooklyn Nets were without all stars Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Not that they would’ve made a difference tonight as the Timberwolves annihilated the Nets, 81-111. They fall to 3-9 on the young season.

The Nets scored first, Garnett hit a jump shot to take a 2-0 lead. That would be the last time the Nets would have the lead in this game. It was your typical definition of a blowout in which the Nets waived the white flag in the 3^rd quarter, bringing in their bench.

Kevin Love had 11 rebounds in the 1^st quarter alone. He was untouched on a few offensive put backs as well. The Nets just played without passion which is a theme dating back to last season for them. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were supposed to fix this problem with the passion and intensity they play with. They have not.

The Nets were just out played at every level and the Timberwolves were clearly the more aggressive team. For the game, the Nets had just 7 assists to 20 turnovers.

Jason Kidd’s seat continues to grow hotter despite the injuries excuse. If Kidd can’t get this team to play with maximum effort night in and night out, he might be the one who gets outted. We know Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov does have a trigger finger for firing coaches early such as last year with Avery Johnson.

However, it’s all still fixable. The NBA season is long and grueling. Deron and Brook will hopefully return soon and Kidd is still learning on the job. This team always had the makeup of a better playoff team than regular season team and in the Eastern Conference; making the playoffs isn’t tough.

Slow Start Too Much For Knicks to Overcome

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, November 3^rd, 2013

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks have no one to blame tonight other than themselves for the 109-100 loss at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. The Knicks were blitzed by the T’Wolves in the first quarter, falling behind 40-19 by the time the second quarter was starting courtesy of a 34-5. The Knicks showed some heart and fought back throughout the game, getting it to within two points in the fourth quarter but they ran out of steam and the comeback came up short. Outside of the first quarter the Knicks actually outscored the Timberwolves by 12 points but it was not enough. The Knicks will look to get back on track Tuesday night back at the Garden against the Charlotte Bobcats at 7:30 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

AP Photo/Frank Franklin III

It was not the best of nights from the field for Anthony but he receives the player of the game for the effort he put forth in the other aspects of the game tonight. Anthony had a game high 17 rebounds and fought hard on the glass against what could be the best power forward-center tandem in the NBA in Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic. Anthony also added a team high 22 points and three assists as he scanned the court and found open players on multiple occasions. It was not a perfect game by any means for Anthony but he was the lesser of the evils tonight for the Knicks in what was a very ugly game as the end score does not do justice to the disheartened effort they showed in the start.

-Positives