Nets Lose to Depleted Bulls

newyork.cbslocal.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 4th, 2013

Chicago Bulls vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Bulls 92 Nets 90

The Brooklyn Nets after coming off a successful circus road trip suffered a tough loss in their first game back in the Barclays Center to a depleted Bulls team, which was missing a lot of players. The loss means that the Bulls are just 1.5 games behind the Nets for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, and home court for the first round.

Positives:

- Point Guard Deron Williams led the way for Brooklyn in this one, as he continues to play at an extremely high level in the second half of the season, but despite a monster double-double for Williams it wasn’t enough to get the Nets the win. Williams finished with a game-high 30 points on nine for 16 shooting, and hit 10 free throws to go along with his 10 assists. Most of Williams’ damage came in the second half, where he scored 20 of his 30 points.



- Brook Lopez played very well before the final minute of this game, when everything that could’ve gone wrong for Lopez did, but he did play very well for most of this game. The All-Star Center Lopez scored 28 points on 10 for 19 shooting. Lopez was a main reason for the Nets quick start in this game, as he scored 18 points in the first quarter on eight of nine shooting.

Negatives:

- As said before the final minute of the game for Lopez was rough, as Lopez turned the ball over with 22 seconds remaining, which led to the eventual game winning basket by Nate Robinson. Then on the next possession the Nets went back into Lopez, who got his shot blocked by Nazr Mohammed, and then Lopez missed a jumper, which could have tied the game if he was able to hit it. 

- The Nets had both Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace back in the lineup on Thursday, but neither one of them was very effective for Brooklyn. Johnson playing for the first time in five games scored just 12 points on four for 11 shooting, and didn’t get his first basket until the third quarter, as he clearly looked rusty. Gerald Wallace, whose season has been disappointing to say the least played poorly yet again, as he only, scored four points, with two rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes.

- Most of the damage done to the Nets was by Bulls Power Forward Carlos Boozer, who had a huge double-double in the win. Boozer finished with a team-high 29 points on 12 for 22 shooting to go along with 18 rebounds, and three assists. In the three games Boozer has played against Brooklyn this season he has played good in all of them, and if these two teams are going to playing in the first round the Nets will have to do a better job defending Boozer.

- Boozer wasn’t alone in scoring from the starting lineup, as the Bulls got excellent production from their wing players Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler. Deng finished with 18 points on eight for 15 shooting, with seven rebounds, and three assists. Jimmy Butler also chipped in with a double-double, as he scored 16 points on seven for 15 shooting to go along with his 10 rebounds, as the Bulls wing player dominated Brooklyn’s.

Next up for the Nets will be the woeful Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night at the Barclays Center.