Pierce Leads Nets To Victory Over Bobcats

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By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 12th, 2014

Charlotte Bobcats vs. Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Bobcats 89 Nets 105 

The Brooklyn Nets were able to pickup a nice win at home against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night in their home game before the All-Star break and the upcoming Circus road-trip. The win moves the Nets to (24-26) on the season, and are still three games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Paul Pierce

Easily the best player for the Nets in their victory on Wednesday night was Paul Pierce, who in just 22 minutes left his mark on the game. Pierce had a game-high 25 points behind a great night shooting the basketball, going nine for 11, which included him going a perfect five for five from three-point range. Pierce scored 14 of his 25 points in the third quarter, as the Nets put away the Bobcats in the third, outscoring them 35-19. Pierce also had the highest +/- on the Nets going +26, as when he was on the court not much went wrong for Brooklyn.

Knicks Fall in Overtime to Western Conference Cellar-Dwelling Kings

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, February 12^th, 2014

Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks will be heading into the All-Star break with a lot of negativity surrounding the team after a 106-101 overtime loss to the Kings Wednesday night. The Kings have the worst record in the Western Conference and had lost seven in a row on the road, including last night by 10 points in Cleveland, but were unfazed coming into Madison Square Garden. These are the kind of losses that can result in people losing jobs and players being moved. This could very well be the last time we see Mike Woodson on the sidelines as the Knicks coach and some players wearing a Knicks jersey. By this time next week and into Thursday there is a good chance this team will look much different. The Knicks will start their All-Star break now and will be back on the court Tuesday in Memphis to start off a four game in five nights stretch that will take place in four different cities. If this isn’t rock bottom for the Knicks they are definitely close.

Jim McIsaac

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

Tonight Stoudemire turned back the block and the Knicks needed every bit of it. Stoudemire played 37 minutes, scoring 20 points on 10-15 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. He also had one assist and two blocks on the night. Stoudemire was the only Knick with the knack in the fourth quarter as he picked up all the scoring slack being left behind by Carmelo Anthony, who didn’t score in the fourth quarter or overtime. Stoudemire is by far the most efficient scorer the Knicks have yet for some reason he is not relied upon on by Mike Woodson unless there is a necessity to use Stoudemire, such as injuries like there was tonight.

Match up of the Game Recap:

Tyson Chandler and DeMarcus Cousins did not disappoint tonight as both came to play. The only problem was that Cousins was unable to make it through the full game. He did his damage even with only getting 33 minutes, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Chandler was not far behind, scoring 17 points and pulling down 11 rebounds of his own. It was a hard fought match up between the two, but it seemed like a blessing in disguise for the Kings when Cousins went down; on the night they were -17 with him on the court.

-Positives

Anthony’s first quarter. He was on fire out of the gate, scoring 17 points in the first quarter. He knocked down his last seven shots of the quarter, finishing 7-9 from the field for the quarter. The Kings threw a number of people at Anthony to slow him down but none were able to do the job. The only player able to stop Anthony was himself and Woodson; will be touched on later on.

Jeremy Tyler received only 11 minutes but he once again made the most of them. He did not score tonight but he had five rebounds in his time on the court. The Knicks actually out rebounded the Kings tonight, a surprise given how strong of a rebounding team the Kings are, ranking 13^th in the NBA in rebounding per game compared to 26^th for the Knicks.

-Negatives

Anthony the final three quarters of the game did not help the Knicks out too much. After a scorching first quarter he finished the game 12-28, going 5-19 after the first quarter. He missed his final six shots and didn’t score in overtime when the Knicks needed him most as he continued his troubling trend of shooting worse as the game went on. He also played 48 minutes in the game, something that could play into why he struggled so much in the second half as he became fatigued.

Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY Sports

The shooting guard play was bad for the Knicks tonight. What made it worse, Iman Shumpert was having a good game before he was forced to leave with a hip pointer in the third quarter after knocking down a three pointer. With no J.R. Smith tonight the onus fell on Tim Hardaway Jr. and he did not step up tonight. He finished with a poor shooting night, going 3-12 overall and 1-6 from the three point line. He was unable to also stay in front of whoever he was guarding as the Kings picked him out and went at him whenever they had the chance.

The Knicks defense again was mind boggling, as they double-teamed mindlessly leaving shooters open throughout the game. Tonight it was New York native Jimmer Fredette. Fredette scored 24 points, going 9-14 overall and 6-8 from deep; when I say deep I mean deep as Fredette was knocking down jumpers feet behind the three point line. The embarrassing part about this is that Fredette has barely been able to crack the Kings rotation recently as he hadn’t even scored 24 points in the month of February combined.

W2W4: Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks; February 12th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, February 12^th, 2014

Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Knicks and Kings will be tipping off Wednesday night for the last time before the All-Star break and ending what has been disappointing first halves for each team. The Knicks came into the season with high expectations after making it into the second round of the playoffs last season. The Kings came into the season with a new coach and outlook and made moves all throughout the first season to try improving their team, but they look to be heading for the lottery for an eighth season in a row. This is an important game for the Knicks as the hot seat for Mike Woodson is on fire and after the All-Star break the schedule is not easy as they will play four games in four different cities in five nights. Here are some things to look for in the game tonight.

-Player News and Notes

W2W4: Charlotte Bobcats vs Brooklyn Nets 2-12

barclayscenter.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 12^th, 2014

W2W4: Charlotte Bobcats vs Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets will be hosting the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night, as it will be the Nets final game at home before the All-Star Break. The Nets will be heading into Wednesday's game with a (23-26) record, which is three games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

- Small Lineup vs Big Al

The main goal for the Nets in this one will be the tough task of trying to stop one of the leagues best Centers in Al Jefferson. Jefferson was the Bobcats big pickup in the off-season, and he has lived up to the big contract he received. This season Jefferson is averaging 20.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, and in January and February he is averaging more than 23 points per game. Getting the task of guard Jefferson will be Kevin Garnett to start, then Andray Blatche and Mason Plumlee coming off the bench.

Bench Carries Nets Past Pelicans

sportspyder.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

February 9^th, 2014

New Orleans Pelicans vs Brooklyn Nets Post Game Recap

Final Score: Pelicans 81 Nets 93

The Brooklyn Nets behind a great first half were able to knock off the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday evening. The victory over the Pelicans moves the Nets to (23-26) on the season, which put them just 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division.

Player of the Game: Mason Plumlee

Rookie Mason Plumlee had his best game as a pro on Sunday night, as the young big man brought a lot of energy for the Nets off the bench. Plumlee had a career-high 22 points on eight for 10 shooting, while doing a pretty good job getting to the free throw line nine times, where he hit six free throws. In addition to the career-high scoring night, Plumlee tied his season-best 13 rebounds too. Plumlee was the recipient to Jason Terry's 5,000^th career assists on an alley oop. Plumlee was also a factor on the defensive end, as he recorded two blocks, one being a ferocious swat off a Jeff Withy shot, and also had three steals to round out the best game of his career thus far.

Knicks Fall to Thunder Behind Near Triple-Double for Durant

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, February 9^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were outmatched in every facet of the game Sunday afternoon as the Thunder defeated them handedly 112-100. The Knicks had a strong first half but closed poorly and the poor play carried over into the second half when the Thunder took control of the game. A game that was billed as a battle between two of the top scorers in the NBA fell short of expectations and judging from the score you know which team’s big scorer it was. The Knicks will look to finish on a high note heading into the All-Star game Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden.

Player of the Game: Jeremy Tyler

Tyler saw his minutes cut from Friday night’s game but he still gave the Knicks some positive and productive play. Tyler saw only 11 minutes on the court but he made the most of them, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds. He also recorded one block, as his activity on the defensive end is a nice thing to see. With how productive he has been in limited minutes it would be a good idea for the Knicks to start expanding his playing time and see what he could do with more time on the court. Right now he is one of the few bright spots in a dark season.

-Positives