For one night, the Nets played like a playoff team – 51.3% FG, 30 assists on 39 baskets, 6 players in double figures, season-high 38 points in the first quarter – returning home to snap a six-game skid, 5 on the road trip, where they hardly looked like a team, never mind playoff team. One night wonder or new trend? Tonight will provide the first answer when New Jersey hosts the Utah Jazz in one of the seven remaining games against teams over .500 in the Nets 17-game fight to continue their playoff streak.
Utah wiped the floor with the Nets on November 19th in Salt Lake City, 102-75. A game more remembered for Jason Kidd’s infamous “glass jaw” pre-game comments, the first of many in-season criticisms by Kidd, than for the 27-point drubbing the Jazz handed out. Vince Carter missed the game with a sprained ankle.
The Nets enter the game tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta, at 27-38, in search of consecutive wins for the first time since a February 12th win over Minnesota extended the last win streak to three. Ironically, that marked Kidd’s last game as a Net.
Sitting fourth in the ever-changing Western Conference standings, at least for today, Utah’s one kryptonite this season has been playing on the road. At 16-20, the Jazz have dropped games to 11 of the 14 teams currently outside the playoffs, including 6 of the 7 non-playoff teams in the East (Milwaukee the lone exception). Dissecting the stats, defense is the only notable difference, opponents average 94.9 points at Energy Solutions Arena, but the Jazz allow 104.6 ppg on the road, a large ten-point gap. Even in the Jazz recent string of 4 out of 5 road wins, they held the opponent under 100 only twice, and one was Memphis, so take that with a grain of salt.
Tonight’s key for the Nets is another efficient offensive performance to follow-up the Cleveland outing. Utah can score with the best of them, currently 6th in the NBA in points scored, reaching the 100 point plateau in 46 of 67 games this season. In contrast, the Nets sit third from the bottom in points, and next to last in the field goal percentage, while Utah leads the NBA. To win tonight, New Jersey must score, not necessarily crack 100 points, but play efficient, shoot over 45% and get to the foul line. As evidenced Wednesday, it starts with passing and attacking the goal. Simply put, on the recent losing streak the Nets finished with 15 or less assists in 4 of the six games and did not crack 100 points, before the 30 assist, 104 point game against Cleveland. Passing and movement on offense leads to better scoring opportunities in the paint, and open jump shots off kick outs. Utah’s defense is susceptible away from home, and the Nets must take advantage.
Newly acquired Devin Harris gets another chance to win over Nets fans against an elite NBA point guard in Deron Williams, who dialed up a 32 point, 8 assist effort in last night’s win in Boston. In 5 head-to-head meetings, after Harris became a starter in Dallas, Williams holds a 3-2 advantage, averaging 21.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 5 rebounds to Harris’ 11 points and 6.4 assists, however Williams played more minutes and took an average of 7 more shots per game. Earlier this season, Williams lit up Harris and the Mavs for 41 points, but lost the game. During the road trip, Harris, noted for his quickness and stellar defense, struggled to stop penetration and watched Tony Parker and Chris Paul, two other elite Western Conference points light up the scoreboard in lopsided wins. Tonight, Harris gets another chance to prove his defensive prowess against the best, as do the Nets.
After the Utah game, New Jersey has a pivotal seven game stretch where they face only one team above .500 – Denver, who currently sits outside the Western Conference playoffs – and includes fives games against teams in direct competition with the Nets for the final few playoff berths in the East. A two-game win streak against top notch playoff teams would bolster confidences, and be a good way to head into that stretch.
