Nets-Magic Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Nov 29 2012 10:26PM

The Brooklyn Nets are playing well, but they'll have to keep that up without Brook Lopez for at least the next two games.

One of those contests includes a visit to the reigning NBA champion.

Before that, the Nets look to overcome Lopez's absence and conclude November with a third victory over the sputtering Orlando Magic, and match their longest winning streak of the season.

Brooklyn (10-4) has won nine of 11 and is tied with New York for first in the Atlantic Division, but the Nets will try to continue that impressive start to 2012-13 without Lopez, the team leader with 18.5 points per game.

The center has a mild sprain of his right foot that will force him to miss the next two games, and he'll be considered day-to-day after that.

This isn't anything new for the Nets - Lopez was limited to five games last season due to a broken foot and another ankle injury. However, this time they feel they're deep enough to cover for Lopez.

"I think we've got a bench. I think Andray Blatche can step in and play, and Reggie Evans," general manager Billy King said. "I think we can sustain much better than we have in the past when an injury happens."

Blatche is averaging 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds, and the Nets will likely need increased production as they conclude this three-game trip at Miami on Saturday.

Blatche proved he's capable of that Wednesday, totaling 17 points and 13 boards while Lopez got hurt driving to the basket during a 95-83 win at Boston. The victory, though, was marred by a shoving match that spilled into the seats, pitting Brooklyn's Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace versus Rajon Rondo of the Celtics.

All three were ejected for the spat that started after Rondo retaliated following a hard foul by Humphries on Kevin Garnett.

Humphries avoided any discipline, while Wallace was fined $35,000 and Rondo suspended two games.

The Nets will try to move on from the incident and match their season-high five-game winning streak from last week. That stretch started with a pair of wins over Orlando (5-9).

They crushed the Magic 107-68 on the road Nov. 9 before completing a sweep of the home-and-home set two days later with an 82-74 victory. Blatche had 15 points in the first meeting before going 1 for 6 from the floor to finish with two in the next one.

Deron Williams is looking to regroup from perhaps his worst performance of the season. The All-Star guard was held to a season-low eight points Wednesday, making just 3 of 12 field goals to go with his seven assists.

Williams was limited to 12 points and four assists at Orlando earlier this month, but followed that up with 17 points and seven assists in the home victory.

The Magic are trying to finish this season-high five-game homestand above .500 after falling 110-89 to San Antonio on Wednesday. They missed 13 of 15 shots from beyond the arc after making 11 in each of the previous two games.

"I don't know if it takes a perfect effort," guard Jameer Nelson said. "We've got to put forth more of an effort as a team and eliminate some of the mistakes we had out there and some of that uncertainty, and be more decisive offensively."

Nelson is averaging 18.7 points over three games, but missed both meetings with the Nets due to strained right hamstring.

Arron Afflalo had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the most recent matchup, and the swingman leads the Magic with 15.4 points per game.

Nets topple Magic 98-86

By KYLE HIGHTOWER
Posted Nov 30 2012 11:12PM

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) Joe Johnson helped the surging Brooklyn Nets handle the absence of Brook Lopez.

With Lopez sidelined for the first time this season, Johnson helped fill the void with 22 points and the Nets earned their fifth straight victory, holding off the Orlando Magic 98-86 on Friday night.

Gerald Wallace added 20 points, including five 3-pointers, as all five Brooklyn starters reached double figures.

"I think we just got a little more focused," said Deron Williams, who finished with 11 points. "We came in and talked as a team. Our team wasn't where we were supposed to be defensively in the first half. I think we decided we were going to lock up and get serious because we got stops and it made us get out and run and get some easy baskets."

Lopez sat with a mild right foot sprain and is day to day.

But it turned out that the Nets' hot shooting and defensive speed was more than enough to make up for what he normally provides in the middle.

"We did a much better job of coming out and really being focused and taking care of the ball," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "We didn't really didn't really have our normal Brooklyn Nets' focus, but we came out focused in the third (quarter) ... which enabled us to get our defense in."

The victory was the Nets' third this season over the Magic and Brooklyn wraps up its three-game road trip in Miami on Saturday.

Glen Davis had 16 points to lead the Magic, who lost their third straight game.

Avery Johnson said before the game that he wasn't worried about his team being flustered offensively because of his confidence in backup Andray Blatche.

Brooklyn was a little timid in the early going, but was able to relax in the front court as its shooters began to stretch the Magic out defensively.

The Nets connected on 11 of 20 3-pointers to make up for Lopez's normal inside production.

While Wallace carried most of the load from beyond the arc, Johnson picked apart the Magic defense with midrange jumpers.

Meanwhile Johnson's counterparts- Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick - were a combined 2 for 14 from the field. As a team, the Magic were also 1 for 11 from the 3-point line. That came after Orlando went just 2 for 15 from beyond the arc in Wednesday's blowout loss to the Spurs.

"That's a big discrepancy," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "I think we had good looks tonight from 3 that just didn't go in and that's part of basketball."

Orlando begins a five-game road trip Sunday in Los Angeles. It will be the Magic's first meeting against Dwight Howard since trading the All-Star center this past summer.

The Magic were short-handed as well Friday, as point guard Jameer Nelson sat with a sore left Achilles tendon.

It was the latest health issue to confront Nelson, who missed his seventh game this season, after having previously been sidelined with hamstring and groin issues.

E'Twaun Moore started in his place and managed to hold his own opposite Williams, at times pushing the tempo for a Magic offense that had been stagnant in the half court in recent games.

But it wasn't enough as Orlando tired down the stretch and wilted as Brooklyn pushed the pace in the second half.

The big run came just after halftime as the Nets grabbed some momentum in the third quarter and used a 15-4 spurt to take 69-56 lead.

Wallace made two 3-pointers during the run and had four makes from long distance in the quarter.

The Nets led 76-65 at the start of the fourth quarter, with Blatche becoming more active inside after a slow start.

Johnson also began to heat up, scoring six points in the period as the Nets' lead grew to 20.

Brooklyn led 45-44 at halftime, as an energized Magic team attacked the basket and took advantage of Lopez's absence underneath, outscoring the Nets 28-18 in the paint.

Orlando also limited the Nets' second-chance opportunities and managed to hold a 19-17 rebounding edge.

Notes: Johnson, who played for San Antonio's 1999 championship team, said his former coach Gregg Popovich has always looked out for his players' well-being first. That includes resting them as he sees fit. "I think Pop knows his team. He knows what's best for his team," Johnson said. "My main thing is I can't tell him how to run his team. I think he does a great job historically. And whatever he's done over his coaching career, it's worked. He knows his team better than anybody and I'm sure he makes decisions to give his team the best chance to win in the short term and the long term."... Brooklyn F Tomike Shengelia was inactive for the fourth straight game with a sprained left thumb.

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Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower.

Notebook: Nets 98, Magic 86

Dick Scanlon, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Nov 30, 2012 10:57 PM - Updated Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:57 PM

THE FACTS: Gerald Wallace found his long-range jump shot and the Brooklyn Nets pulled away to a 98-86 victory in Orlando, their third November victory against the Magic.

Joe Johnson scored a game-high 22 points and Wallace added 20 for the Nets, who made six-of-seven 3-pointers in the third quarter. Andray Blatche, starting at center in place of the injured Brook Lopez, had 14 points and nine rebounds in Brooklyn's fifth straight victory. The Nets raised their record to 11-4, their best ever after 15 games.

Glen Davis led the Magic with 16 points.

THE STAT: The Nets made 11-of-20 3-point shots while the Magic shot 1-for-11.

TURNING POINT: The Magic had a 48-45 early in the second half when Wallace hit the first of his four 3-pointers over a span of eight minutes, leading a 27-10 run that put the Nets in full command.

QUOTABLE: "If I'm knocking down those shots, then you basically can't leave us; now you're having to play one-on-one in the post with those guys and we have some pretty tough guards to play one-on-one in the post." -- Wallace.

HOT: For the season, Wallace had been 5-for-21 from behind the arc. This time he shot 5-for-6.

QUOTABLE: "Game-plan wise, we didn't anticipate Gerald Wallace going 5-for-6 from three. ... Gerald made shots, and (it was) a big difference in the game." -- Magic coach Jacque Vaughn.

NOT: Magic shooting guards Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick shot a combined 2-for-16.

GOOD MOVE: In the absence of Lopez, the Nets got more than 26 minutes from Reggie Evans, who provided a physical presence in the middle and a game-high 10 rebounds.

QUOTABLE III: "We have a very deep team. That's what we've been banking on all year. If a guy goes out here and there, we have other guys that can step in and fill in for them." -- Nets guard Deron Williams.

BAD MOVE: The Magic tried defending the 6-foot-7 Johnson and Wallace with 6-4 J.J. Redick in the first half, which not only didn't work but took Redick out of his offensive game as well.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Williams, the Nets' leading scorer in the absence of Lopez, was content to set up Johnson and Wallace. He took only nine shots and had seven assists.

ROOKIE WATCH: The Magic finished the game with all four of their rookies on the floor. Andrew Nicholson came off the bench for 12 points and three rebounds in 18 minutes.

NOTABLE: Lopez missed his first game of the season due to a sprained right foot. ... Magic point guard Jameer Nelson sat the game out with a strained Achilles. Nelson has missed all three games against the Nets. ... The Magic are 4-4 with Nelson in the lineup, 1-6 without him. ... A win in Miami on Saturday night would be the Nets' sixth straight, their longest winning streak since March-April of 2006.

UP NEXT: For the Nets: Saturday @ Miami, Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City, Friday vs. Golden State. For the Magic: Sunday @ L.A. Lakers, Monday @ Golden State, Wednesday @ Utah.

• Nets: Lopez, Shengelia
• Magic: Harrington, Turkoglu

• Nets: --
• Magic: --

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Amway Center, Orlando, FL
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #28 Zach Zarba, #54 Nick Buchert
• Attendance: 17103
• Duration: 2:02