Nets Defeat Celtics in Return of Deron Williams

nydailynews.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

December 10th, 2013

Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Celtics 96 Nets 104

For the first time this season the Brooklyn Nets are now on a winning streak with their victory at home against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night. The 104-96 win at the Barclays Center moves the Nets to (7-14) on the season, and puts them just two games back of lead in the Atlantic Division.

- Positives

Quite possibly the biggest positive of all season so far for the Nets was the return of Deron Williams, who played in his first game since November 20th due to an ankle injury. Despite missing a lot of time so far this season Williams did not look rusty in the win, and in fact looked like the Williams of the second half of last season. Williams finished with 25 points on 10 for 16 shooting, and also dished out seven assists.



Brook Lopez, with the return of his Point Guard really excelled on the offensive end against the small Celtics frontline. Lopez scored 24 points on 10 for 13 shooting, and had a game-high +18 plus/minus. Lopez however despite the huge height advantage like many times before had a bad rebounding game, as he only grabbed three rebounds.

Going against his former team Kevin Garnett had a good game in just 26 minutes, as he was just one rebound shy of a double-double. Garnett finished with 11 points on five for 10 shooting, to go along with nine rebounds and three assists. Alan Anderson got to stay in the starting lineup even with the return of Paul Pierce, and looked like he belong with 15 points on six for seven shooting.

- Negatives

Paul Pierce made his return to the Nets to go along with Williams, but unlike Deron, Pierce like he has most of the season struggled and did not look good. He played 22 minutes coming off of the bench for just the fourth time in his career, and had four points on zero for three shooting, but he did grab seven rebounds to salvage his stat line a bit. If Tuesdays win has any effect on Jason Kidd, it might not be a bad idea to stick with Anderson in the starting lineup, and keep Pierce coming off the bench.

The Celtics starting five absolutely torched the Nets on the offensive end, as it is clear that defensively the Nets as a team have a lot of issues. All five Celtics starters were in double figures, with Avery Bradley leading the way with 22 points on eight for 16 shooting, and Jeff Green was close behind with 19 points on six for 13 shooting, which included going four for four from three-point land. The Celtics starting five combined for 84 points, but luckily for the Nets their bench production was non-existent.

Next up for the Nets will be a showdown at home against the Los Angeles Clippers and their new Coach Doc Rivers, who will be facing Garnett and Pierce for the first time since they all left Boston in the off-season.