76ers-Nets Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Dec 22 2012 12:54PM

The Philadelphia 76ers hope the recent success they enjoyed while beating the Nets in New Jersey will continue in Brooklyn.

With point guard Jrue Holiday back in the lineup, the 76ers look to win two in a row for this first time in almost a month Sunday when they try for a seventh consecutive road victory over the reeling Nets.

Philadelphia (13-14) has won six straight road games against the Nets by an average 10.5 points, but this will be its first appearance at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Though the 76ers will try to avoid their first six-game road skid since an eight-game slide Nov. 10-Dec. 3, 2010, they snapped a five-game overall losing streak with Friday's 99-80 win over Atlanta.

It marked the return of Holiday, who leads the team with career highs of 18.0 points and 8.8 assists but missed the previous four games with a sprained left foot.

"I felt like with Jrue back, we're a different team," Philadelphia swingman Evan Turner said.

That might not bode well for the Nets (13-12), who have lost three in a row and eight of 10. Brooklyn has dropped five of six at its swanky new home since opening 7-1 there.

"We have a lot of season left. We'll get it turned around," Nets coach Avery Johnson said.

Turner scored 21 points, Thaddeus Young added 18 with 11 rebounds as Philadelphia shot 51.2 percent and held the Hawks to 39.2 from the field. The presence of Holiday, however, might have made the biggest impact. He had 11 points with seven assists in 36 minutes, as the Sixers outscored Atlanta by 15 when he was on the court.

"I think you can see the difference that Jrue makes in our team," coach Doug Collins said. "He just gives us a settling presence. Offensively, things are smoother."

He also appears to have helped the 76ers get back on track defensively after they allowed 114.3 points on 52.9 percent shooting in the previous three games.

"We can score when we need to," Holiday said. "But it's just locking up our defense. We tried to take guys out of the game and we succeeded."

With Holiday back in the mix and the Nets mired in their latest skid, it would appear Philadelphia has a good chance to win two in a row for the first time since a three-game run Nov. 25-30.

Turner is averaging a career-high 15.3 points, and has totaled 31 on 15-of-24 shooting in the last two against the Nets.

Brooklyn looks to bounce back after a 100-86 loss at New York on Wednesday. Joe Johnson had 17 points while Deron Williams added 16 with 10 assists and Brook Lopez 16 with 10 bounds for the Nets, who managed 38 points in the second half.

The Nets have scored 90 or fewer in their last three contests, and have allowed 99.3 points in 10 games this month since giving up 90.4 while going 11-4 in November.

"It's very tough and frustrating, considering the fact I know we're not the team that has lost eight of the last 10," Joe Johnson told the Nets' official website. "The way we started, the way the ball was moving, the way we were playing defensively, you couldn't tell me, man, that at this point we'd be right at about .500. I had no clue of that."

Johnson, who is averaging 21.0 points in his last five contests, has been held to 11.6 points per game in his last five versus Philadelphia.

Johnson scores 22 points, Nets beat 76ers

Posted Dec 23 2012 8:03PM

NEW YORK (AP) Nets coach Avery Johnson used the previous three days to give his team some rest after Brooklyn dropped nine of its last ten games.

The Nets got in some practice time and Johnson's staff looked over recent game film, adding some new plays to an offense that has struggled this season.

It paid off Sunday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joe Johnson scored 22 points, including 10 in the third quarter, Gerald Wallace had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists and the Nets held on to beat the 76ers 95-92.

Avery Johnson came away pleased with the performance after the Nets had coughed up leads in the second half during their recent stretch of loses.

"Very satisfied because you know that's been our Achilles heel," the coach said. "We still had some minor issues in there. For the most part we took care of the ball. We were so organized whenever there was a breakdown."

The Sixers rallied from eight points down in the final 40.5 seconds left, but Brooklyn didn't fold.

"We definitely needed it. We just needed to get back in the winning track, especially in our building. It was good for us tonight," said Deron Williams, who added 16 points to help the Nets end a six-game losing streak at home against Philadelphia.

"We put in a couple of new sets which were old sets that we ran the last couple of years, that we hadn't put in this year. It was a little more continuity. We just went over it and kind of worked on it and it was good for us tonight. We got some good looks out of it. We got to the back side of plays and got some open shots."

Jrue Holiday led Philadelphia with 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds, Thadeus Young added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Evan Turner had 15 points and seven rebounds. The 76ers, opening an eight-game trip, have dropped six of their last seven games.

"We got off to a good start, up 12-4. Brooklyn hit us with a 20-5 run which knocked us back and also Joe Johnson's close to the third quarter. I just spoke to our guys about finishing quarters and who is the most dangerous man on the floor," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.

"Those are mistakes you can't make when you're on the road. As long as I'm the coach, our guys are going to fight back. If they don't then they'd have to get another coach."

The game seemed out of reach for the Sixers when Williams made a layup with 40.5 seconds left to make it 91-83.

But Holiday drew a foul on Williams and hit one of two free throws to make it 91-84. Holiday then fouled Williams, but he missed both free throws and Holiday answered with a 3-pointer with 19.1 seconds left to cut it to 91-87.

After Turner's foul sent Joe Johnson to the line, the Nets guard hit the first free throw but missed the second, leaving Brooklyn ahead 92-87. Dorell Wright then made a 3-pointer with 9.6 seconds left to cut it to 92-90.

Williams was fouled again by Holiday and hit two free throws before Turner answered with a layup to make it 94-92. Joe Johnson finished the scoring with a free throw.

"I thought we played today with a lot more intensity. I thought we had a lot more fun. We talked about it in practice the other day, had a great practice and it came over to the game," Joe Johnson said.

Philadelphia jumped out to a 12-4 lead before Avery Johnson called a 20-second timeout with 5:50 left in the first quarter. Brooklyn responded with an 18-0 run, turning an eight-point deficit into a 10-point lead the Nets wouldn't relinquish.

"They made shots and got going, so that was pretty much it," Turner said.

Notes: Nets F Kris Humphries was projected to be in the starting lineup but was replaced by F Keith Bogans. Wallace slid over to the power forward spot as Avery Johnson preferred to go with a smaller lineup, something he had been working on over the stretch of days the team had off. . Brooklyn is 7-2 against the Eastern Conference at home this season. . The Nets' previous home win against the Sixers came on April 5, 2009. ... Philadelphia's trip also includes stops in Memphis, Los Angeles to face the Lakers, Oklahoma City and San Antonio.

Notebook: Nets 95, 76ers 92

Jake Appleman, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:45 PM - Updated Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:45 PM

THE FACTS: Backed by Gerald Wallace's hustle, deep 3s from Joe Johnson, and a season-high 13 points from Keith Bogans, the Nets held off the 76ers at Barclays Center, 95-92. Johnson led the Nets with 22 points, and despite another underwhelming performance, Deron Williams made decisive plays down the stretch. Jrue Holiday paced the Sixers with 24 points and nine assists, while Lavoy Allen got the better of Brook Lopez inside.

QUOTABLE: "There are a lot a games we play and we lose by close margins. Some games we lose by six or seven and other teams are beating us at the free throw line. A few of those shots in the paint and getting contact to go to the free throw line will help us beat teams."
-- Sixers forward Dorell Wright.

THE STAT: Heeding the words of their coach Avery Johnson, the Nets turned the ball over only nine times, the same amount as the Sixers.

TURNING POINT: Two good plays from Andray Blatche (10 points, four rebounds), a nifty upcourt pass to C.J. Watson off of a fake and a driving dunk, put the Nets in control midway through the fourth quarter, providing enough of a lead to withstand a late barrage of 3s from the Sixers.

QUOTABLE II: "It helped us, you saw the way Gerald (Wallace) ignited the break for us. Basically over 60 percent of the league is playing this way. We've had spacing issues, we've had a lot of issues where we went back and looked back at all of our offense over the first 25 games. No-matter who they started at four, Gerald was going to start at four and that is what we have been working on over the last two days."
-- Avery Johnson, on going with a small lineup.

INSIDE THE ARENA: A quiet crowd two days before Christmas.

ROOKIE WATCH: Tornike "Toko" Shengelia saw his earliest action of the season, checking in late in the first quarter, eliciting a strong reaction from the crowd. He was quickly called for a travel on a spin move and did not return after the first quarter.

NOTABLE: Down 12-4 to start the game, the Nets reeled off 18 straight points, on 7-7 shooting before Nick Young sank a 3-pointer. ... Bogans started for Kris Humphries, as Wallace moved over to the power forward position. Humphries did not play. ... Johnson drained two long 3-pointers, from 27 and 31 feet respectively, to give the Nets a five-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT: For the Sixers, Wednesday @ Memphis, Friday @ Golden State, Saturday @ Portland . For the Nets, Tuesday vs. Boston, Wednesday @ Milwaukee, Friday @ Charlotte.

• 76ers: Bynum, Moultrie
• Nets: Childress, Teletovic

• 76ers: Hawes
• Nets: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #26 Pat Fraher, #74 Curtis Blair
• Attendance: 17732
• Duration: 2:09