Nets-Kings Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Nov 17 2012 9:54PM

Deron Williams didn't re-sign with the Brooklyn Nets simply to get off to a promising start, which may be why he's not exactly celebrating the team's success to date.

The Sacramento Kings, though, gladly would trade places.

Brooklyn seeks its fifth straight victory when it kicks off a three-game trip through California against struggling Sacramento on Sunday night.

Williams scored 24 points and dished out eight assists in Thursday's 102-97 win over Boston, giving the Nets (5-2) their biggest victory since moving from New Jersey prior to the season.

Williams signed a long-term deal in the offseason to help lead the team's relocation effort to compete among the heavyweights in the Eastern Conference. While he's proud of the solid start, he said there's plenty Brooklyn can improve.

"We're 5-2, so we're definitely happy with the record," Williams said. "We feel like we haven't played even close to our best basketball, so that's the most promising thing, is that we still have a lot of room for improvement on both ends of the floor. We'll keep working on it, whether it's in practice or in games, until we get better.

"This was a huge win for us."

Brook Lopez, who also signed a long-term deal in the offseason, matched Williams' game-high point total, and the acquisition of Joe Johnson from Atlanta paid possibly its biggest dividends Thursday.

Johnson hit two big baskets in the final three minutes. He made only 6 of his 19 shots, but his clutch hoops proved to be the difference.

"Down the stretch I die for moments like that," Johnson said. "I just didn't make shots like I normally do, but in the last three or four minutes of the game I tried to focus a little more and just be a little more aggressive."

Brooklyn will face the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday before Wednesday's meeting with Golden State, and it would like to get the trip started on a positive note against the struggling Kings.

Sacramento (2-7) held a players-only meeting after Friday's 112-96 loss to Atlanta that marked its fourth straight defeat.

DeMarcus Cousins returned after serving a two-game suspension and scored nine points while adding a season-high 16 rebounds and seven assists, but he shot only 4 of 15 from the field.

"He was rusty, he has been out of rhythm for two games," coach Keith Smart said. "Sometimes you come back and you're probably being hard on yourself, trying to get out of a slump.

"We're having a very rough time and it's not fun for anyone."

Jason Thompson added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings, who Cousins said didn't hold anything back during the meeting. Sacramento is allowing 100.1 points per game while scoring an average of 91.3 - both among the worst in the Western Conference.

"We just put it all on the table. We talked about what we needed to do and what it's going to take to help this team get better," Cousins said. "We were all in a bad mood."

Williams finished with 19 points and 15 assists to trump 23 points from Tyreke Evans in the Nets' 111-99 victory in the most recent meeting March 31, their fifth win in the last seven matchups with the Kings.

Blatche scores 22 to lead Nets over Kings 99-90

Posted Nov 18 2012 9:50PM

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) It's not often that Andray Blatche plays a pivotal offensive role for a talented Nets team loaded with scorers.

Yet it was Brooklyn's reserve center who got things going against Sacramento on Sunday when the starters were shooting poorly.

Blatche scored 22 points to lead the Nets to their fifth straight victory, 99-90 over the struggling Kings.

Blatche was part of a huge effort by an extremely productive Brooklyn bench. He made his first 10 shots and finished 11 of 12 in 19 minutes subbing for starter Brook Lopez.

"I got to open spots and my teammates were looking for me," Blatche said. "When the double team came I was able to make the open shots. Our starters believe in the second group because we play with energy and effort. They know we've got their back."

Coming to Brooklyn has been a nice change for Blatche, who spent his first six seasons with the Wizards and grew tired of Washington's frequent losses over the past few seasons.

"I'm not sure, but I think this is the first time in my career that I've been on a team that's won five straight," Blatche said. "I'm at a loss for words right now. It's a good feeling to be on a team that has a good chance of winning every game."

The Nets (6-2) matched the team's best start since the 2002-03 season when they went to the NBA finals, losing to San Antonio in six games. Brooklyn can thank its reserves, who combined for 52 points and shot 21 of 30 against the Kings.

Deron Williams had 14 points and 10 assists for the Nets, whose longest winning streak last season was three games. MarShon Brooks had nine of his 14 points in the fourth quarter, Brook Lopez had 13 points and four blocks, and C.J. Watson had 13 points.

Joe Johnson, a key pickup in an offseason trade, never got it going offensively. He missed 9 of 10 shots and finished with 10 points for the Nets.

"It doesn't have to be Deron and me having a great game for us to win," said Johnson, who helped seal the victory by making 8 of 8 free throws in the fourth quarter. "We can come at you offensively in a lot of different ways. I'm not worried about it (my shot) at this point, it will come."

DeMarcus Cousins had 23 of his 29 points in the second half for the Kings, who have dropped five straight. Tyreke Evans had 21 points and seven rebounds and Marcus Thornton added 12 points.

Struggling to find a cohesive lineup, Kings head coach Keith Smart started Aaron Brooks at point guard and John Salmons at small forward. The move paid off early with the Kings jumping out to a 16-8 lead, but they trailed 21-20 after one quarter.

"Overall, when you make some changes like we have it's hard, but they were smiling for the most part," Kings coach Keith Smart said. "This is an adjustment period. That's something we have to go through to get out team turned around."

The Kings got to within three early in the fourth when Thornton connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. Brooklyn never lost the lead and increased it to 84-74 with six unanswered points, the final two on a driving hoop by Brooks at the 4:42 mark.

"MarShon came on strong in the second half for us and was making some really good plays," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "That's probably the most composed I've seen him play since I've been here. I'm really proud of our young guys MarShon, Blatche and C.J."

Brooklyn cooled off in the third quarter after shooting nearly 54 percent in the opening half. But the Nets still maintained a 74-65 lead and closed the third with a 7-0 run which included a three-point play by Reggie Evans.

"Brooklyn is playing great right now," Thornton said. "They have a great point guard, a great shooting guard, and are solid all around. The rest of the guys fit in and play their roles well."

After a poor first half where he shot 3 of 12, Cousins got going in the third quarter to keep the Kings close. The Kings center made 5 of 5 shots from close range and had 12 points, and Evans contributed seven.

Blatche exceeded his previous season high of 15 points in the first half. He was 9 of 9 and had 18 points in the opening half, helping the Nets take a 54-42 lead at the break. Lopez scored 12 points and Watson also gave Brooklyn a huge lift off the bench with 11.

"We got him (Blatche) three easy layups in the first quarter, that's how you get in a rhythm," Williams said. "After that he had that feeling that he couldn't miss."

Notes: Sacramento is last in NBA attendance and has drawn crowds of 12,000 or less in four of its six home games this season. The attendance was 11,965 for the rare Sunday matinee. . Brooklyn's reserves outscored the starters 34-20 in the first half. . Gerald Wallace started for the Nets after missing the last five games with a sprained left ankle. . Johnson went scoreless until making a jumper at the 10:03 mark of the third quarter.

Notebook: Nets 99, Kings 90

James Ham, For NBA.com
Posted Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:56 PM - Updated Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:56 PM

THE FACTS: In a tale of two ships passing in the night, the Sacramento Kings went down for their fifth consecutive loss as the Brooklyn Nets won their fifth in a row by a score of 99-90. The home team gave it a good run, but turnovers and poor free-throwing shooting down the stretch hurt their chances.

Andray Blatche led the way for the Nets, scoring 22-points on 11-for-12 shooting. A banged-up Deron Williams finished with 14 points and 10 assists, while MarShon Brooks added 14-points in just 12 minutes off the bench.

DeMarcus Cousins finished strong, scoring 11 of his game-high 29-points in the fourth quarter. Tyreke Evans had one of his better games of the young season, scoring 21 points while grabbing seven rebounds in the loss.

QUOTABLE: "We only preach team here. It's not about 'I,' it's about team and it's about us. On a night like tonight when our big guys weren't in their best form, that's when other guys need to step up."

--Nets coach Avery Johnson

THE STAT: The Kings had four total assists in the first half on 19 made baskets as their offense continues to stagnate. The Kings also shot just 10-for-19 from the free throw line, which never feels good in a nine-point loss.

THE STAT II: The Nets' bench outscored the Kings' bench 52-26.

TURNING POINT: The Nets let the Kings hang around in this one, but an early fourth quarter push proved to be the difference. After cutting the Nets lead to 76-74 at the 9:20 mark of the fourth, the Kings were outscored 23-16 down the stretch.

QUOTABLE II: "With the way that we've been playing recently -- not that we've been perfect, they're sensing something starting to happen. We're still on the ground floor, but something is starting to happen."

-- Avery Johnson on his teams five game winning streak

HOT: Holy Blatche! The Nets reserve big man lit the Kings up in the first half, hitting nine straight shots on his way to 18 huge points before the break. Blatche finished with a team-high 22 points, missing only one shot 20 minutes of action.

NOT: Joe Johnson was a complete non-factor in this one. The Nets big free agent acquisition finished with 10 points on 1-for-10 shooting. Most of his points came late in the game from the free throw line.

GOOD MOVE: Kings coach Keith Smart went to a new starting lineup and his team instantly responded. Win or lose, the Kings played a much better brand of basketball today in front of their home crowd.

BAD MOVE: With the game in the balance, Smart stuck with James Johnson instead of going back to Evans during a pivotal stretch in the fourth quarter and it proved disastrous. Johnson looked lost on the offensive end, running into tight spots and throwing the ball out of bounds for a bad turnover with just over six minutes remaining and his team trailing by eight.

NOTABLE: Blatche and Brooks combined for 36-points on 16-for-18 shooting off the Nets bench. C.J. Watson added another 13 points on 3-for-4 shooting from distance as part of the Nets second unit.

UP NEXT: For the Nets: Tuesday @ Lakers, Wednesday @ Golden State, Friday vs. Clippers. For the Kings: Wednesday vs. Lakers, Friday @ Utah, Saturday vs. Jazz.

• Nets: Bogans, Shengelia
• Kings: Honeycutt

• Nets: --
• Kings: Thompson

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, CA
• Officials: #9 Derrick Stafford, #76 Steven Anderson, #16 David Guthrie
• Attendance: 11965
• Duration: 2:12