Cavaliers-Nets Preview

By CHRIS ALTRUDA
Posted Apr 07 2012 3:46PM

Even without their starting center, the New Jersey Nets are feeling optimistic about the future given their solid recent play heading into their game Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Nets (20-37) are all but assured of not making the playoffs and barely mathematically alive heading into this contest. Yet, they are playing possibly their best basketball of this compressed season, having won five of eight games following their 110-98 victory Friday over Washington as they shot a season-high 56.3 percent.

"We have been pretty good in this little stretch since the Utah game (105-84 loss March 26)," Nets coach Avery Johnson said.

Deron Williams shook off the flu to have 19 points and 13 assists for his fifth double-double in seven games Friday.

The star point guard thinks the Nets would be even better with a healthy Brook Lopez, who was shut down for the season Friday. Lopez appeared in just five games due to ankle and foot injuries, averaging 19.2 points, after not missing one last season while scoring a team-high 20.4 per game.

"We'd be a playoff team," Williams said when asked about the impact of Lopez's absence. "He is one of our best players, a 7-footer who can score from anywhere, commands lot of attention, double teams and knows how to play the game."

While Lopez has been a spectator most of the season, Williams' supporting cast appears to be finding its groove. Gerald Wallace has averaged 15.5 points in 12 games since being acquired from Portland, Kris Humphries has averaged 16.2 points and 11.8 rebounds in the past five and reserve Anthony Morrow has scored 17.3 per game over the last four.

While the Cavaliers (18-35) also are building for the future, the present doesn't include No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving. He missed his second straight game - Cleveland's 84-80 win Friday over Toronto that snapped a 10-game losing streak - due to a sprained shoulder and will not play this game as the Cavaliers monitor his progress.

Lester Hudson has been trying to make the most of his opportunity with Irving and fellow guard Anthony Parker sidelined. He finished with career highs of 23 points and seven assists Friday in a bid to get another 10-day contract from the team since his current one expires after this game.

Hudson hit a pair of game-clinching free throws with four seconds to play.

"The 10 day is almost up so I said to myself, 'If you want to stay, you've got to make these,'" Hudson said. "'Do not worry about the crowd. If you want to stay, you make these.' I made them, so hopefully I can stay."

Hudson will likely get extensive minutes again since Parker is not expected to play due to a bruised sternum, and could get his first career start after Manny Harris went 1 for 8 in a starting role.

"Each day with Lester right now he seems to get a little more comfortable in his role with the team," coach Byron Scott said. "I thought he played great."

Cleveland has won two of three between the teams, including a 105-100 victory at New Jersey in the most recent meeting March 19 as rookie Tristan Thompson had a season-high 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Green, Morrow lead Nets past Cavaliers in OT

Posted Apr 08 2012 10:17PM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Gerald Green knows he's going to get his chances to score when he's on the floor with veterans like Deron Williams and Anthony Morrow.

Green scored a season-high 32 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 36.7 seconds left in regulation and a high-flying dunk in overtime, leading the New Jersey Nets to a 122-117 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

"When I'm on the floor, everyone's attention has to be on them," Green said. "It makes my life a whole lot easier. I tend to get a lot of open shots."

Green, signed as a free agent out of the NDBL in late February, shot 11 for 18 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range to help the Nets win their season-high third straight at home. New Jersey has also won six of nine overall.

"If I have an open shot and I don't take it, my teammates get down on me," said Green, whose previous best this season was 26 points on two occasions. "They all tell me to be aggressive and take those shots."

Anthony Morrow scored 24 points, Deron Williams had 18 points and 10 assists and Kris Humphries added 16 points and 11 rebounds as New Jersey finished with its highest scoring total of the season - topping the 115 in a loss to Denver on Jan. 11.

Antawn Jamison scored a season high-tying 34 points, Lester Hudson had 26 and Alonzo Gee added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland, which lost for the 10th time in 11 games and the 13th in their last 15. Tristan Thompson had 15 points and 15 rebounds.

The teams traded the lead seven times in the final 5 minutes of regulation before Green gave the Nets a 109-106 lead with his 3-pointer. However, Hudson sent the game to overtime with a fall-away 3 with just 0.3 seconds left.

"He made that shot, but we didn't drop our heads," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "We just kept on fighting. I think two weeks ago, we would not have won this game."

Johnson was asked if he considered fouling in the closing seconds with a three-point lead instead of giving Hudson, another signee from the NDBL, the chance to hit the tying shot.

"With a capital `N' and a capital `O,"' Johnson said. "It's not my philosophy, my mindset. We're not going to foul there."

The Nets scored the first four points of overtime and never looked back. Humphries had a driving slam with 3:55 left and Green had his big alley-oop dunk off a pass from Williams 22 seconds later that put New Jersey up 113-109.

"I think any time you score first in overtime, it gives you a jump and momentum," said Humphries, whose dunk was totally uncontested. "I was surprised I was so open. I guess they thought I was going to kick the ball back out. I was lucky to be able to take it to the basket. Then Gerald Green made that huge dunk and we were on our way. Everyone contributed."

The Nets led by as many as seven in the extra period.

Cleveland coach Byron Scott, who once led New Jersey to consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, was elated with his team's efforts. The Cavaliers had been regularly getting blown out during their recent nine-game losing streak, but have been getting better efforts of late, thanks to the play of Hudson, who is still on a 10-day contract.

"I'm pretty sure he'll be in a Cleveland uniform for the rest of the season," Scott said of the relatively unknown Hudson from Tennessee-Martin. "He's been fantastic for us. He gave us a chance to win tonight. I'm proud of the way played, how hard we played. It's now three straight games of competing and we had our chances in regulation and overtime. I'm comfortable with the way we've been playing."

After Thompson's dunk tied the score at 60-all with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter, the teams traded the lead three times, before the Nets went on a 9-0 run over a 1:15 span. Morrow had a 3 and Brooks had a driving basket l during the run that gave the Nets a 76-67 lead with 2:02 left in the period.

Cleveland scored the final four points of the quarter to pull within five.

The Nets led by nine - at 85-76 - in the fourth, but the Cavaliers kept fighting back and tied the score at 94 on a rebound dunk by Thompson with 5:37 left.

The Cavaliers held the lead throughout the first quarter and took a 30-26 advantage into the second.

Gerald Wallace, who left the game with 2 1/2 minutes to go in the first half due to a hamstring injury, got the Nets going with a driving three-point play to cut the lead to one just 10 seconds into the second period.

The Nets then went on an 11-0 run over a 2:04 span to take a 44-33 lead with 5:10 left before halftime. Green got things going, scoring on consecutive driving baskets and Brooks added a three-point play in the run.

The Nets led 56-48 at halftime as Green scored 10 of his 13 first-half points in the second quarter.

NOTES: Wallace scored seven points in 17 minutes before his injury. His status for Tuesday's game against Philadelphia is uncertain. ... Cavaliers G Kyrie Irving, a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year honors and the top scorer among rookies at 18.8 points per game, missed his third straight game due to a shoulder sprain and contusion. ... Nets owner Mikhail Prohkorov was in attendance for the first time this season. He sat in a box on the second level near center court with general manager Billy King. Prohkorov is scheduled to tour the Nets' new home in Brooklyn on Tuesday. ... The two teams split the four-game season series.

Notebook: Nets 122, Cavaliers 117

Posted Sunday April 8, 2012 10:04PM

By Adam Figman, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: There was no playoff positioning on the line in New Jersey on Sunday night, but there was an unexpected playoff atmosphere, courtesy of an end-of-regulation near-buzzer-beater and an overtime battle that ended with the Nets earning a 122-117 victory over a feisty Cleveland Cavaliers squad. Cavs guard Lester Hudson's corner 3-pointer tied things up with 0.3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Nets were able to gain a quick lead early in extra time and just barely hold Cleveland off late, needing Hudson to miss a second game-tying attempt with under 10 seconds to go in OT to complete the victory.

Cavs forward Antawn Jamison dropped in a game-high 34 points, while the Nets were led by Gerald Green, who converted 11-of-18 shots en route to 32 points. Alonzo Gee added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Cleveland.

QUOTABLE I: "How do you describe like 40 different plays? You don't have enough time. But the one thing that I do have time to talk about is the mental toughness, the mental stamina of our team when you had a couple of tough breaks there with a turnover, or a guy making a three. ... We hung in there."
-- Nets head coach Avery Johnson.

THE STAT: Cleveland shot an impressive 50 percent from three-point land (sinking 12-of-24), a figure that kept the contest close whenever it appeared that the Nets might run away. Four of those 3s came courtesy of Jamison.

TURNING POINT: This one was tight right down to the very end, although a turning point felt imminent when it appeared as though Hudson's late 3-pointer would help the Cavs ride momentum past the Nets in overtime. The Nets pushed on, though; after the game, Johnson admitted that his guys wouldn't have been up for that challenge as recently as a few weeks ago.

QUOTABLE II: "It's been three straight games of coming out, playing hard and competing. I can't complain. Our guys did it again tonight."
-- Cavs head coach Byron Scott.

HOT: Playing under a 10-day contract, guard Hudson continues to prove he deserves a more-permanent roster spot. The guard followed up his 23-point performance against the Raptors on Friday night with a career-high 26 points, including the fade-away corner three-pointer that tied the game at 109 and sent it to overtime. Like the opposing Nets did with Green, the Cavs will be keep Hudson on board for beyond the length of his current 10-day deal. He'll need to be re-upped before Monday morning, though, which is the 11th day after he first signed on, but Scott told reporters that Hudson will be with the team through Monday and beyond.

NOT: Good health. The Cavs were without Kyrie Irving (right shoulder), Anderson Varejao (right wrist) and Anthony Parker (bruised sternum), while Nets starting forward Gerald Wallace left the game in the second quarter after straining his left hamstring as he came down awkwardly following a powerful put-back dunk. He didn't return.

GOOD MOVE: With Jordan Farmar (right groin) sidelined for the season, the Nets are thin at point guard, and as a result have been spelling Deron Williams with rookie shooting guard MarShon Brooks for various stretches of time. In the first half this strategy led to mixed results, but in the third quarter Johnson abandoned it and substituted in backup guard Sundiata Gaines. Gaines immediately improved the flow of the offense and injected the unit with a newfound energy.

BAD MOVE: Holding onto a 109-106 lead and the clock winding down towards 0.0, the Nets elected not to foul in the backcourt, providing the Cavs with an opportunity to tie things up -- an opportunity they were happy to take full advantage of. New Jersey took the same chance once again in overtime, but fortunately for coach Johnson, Cleveland did not have the same luck twice.

NOTABLE: Green added another solid performance to his improbably stellar season, going for 32 points, five 3s and four rebounds. ... This was the second overtime contest for the Nets this season, with the first one coming in a 97-90 win in Philadelphia on January 25. ... Wallace met with team doctors after the game. He's believed to have a strained hamstring, with another update expected in the next couple of days.

UP NEXT: For the Nets, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia, Friday @ Philadelphia, Saturday vs. Boston. For the Cavaliers, Tuesday vs. Charlotte, Wednesday vs. Indiana, Saturday @ Indiana.

• Cavaliers: Harangody, Varejao
• Nets: James, Lopez

• Cavaliers: --
• Nets: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 15

• Arena: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #40 Leon Wood, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 11341
• Duration: 2:39