Dooling Does it All Against Grizz Jan. 7, 2009 by Ben Couch - NJNETS.COM

East Rutherford, N.J. — Keyon Dooling wasn't spectacular.

There was no eye-popping epiphany inducer by the New Jersey Nets' guard, no crowd-elevating moment of awesomeness, no nothing except a collection of made plays that added up to a nine-point, eight-assist, three-steal night. And more importantly, a home win.

Starting in place of point guard Devin Harris, who sat out Wednesday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a pulled hamstring, Dooling helped lead the Nets to a 100-89 victory at the IZOD Center. The W, New Jersey's third in a row at home, pulled them back up to .500 overall at 18-18.

"(Keyon) just plays the same game," said Vince Carter, Dooling's running mate in the backcourt. "If he comes in, he's coming in to shoot and score when he's open, or when the opportunity's there for him to be a facilitator, he does a great job of getting us into the offense. And on the defensive end he's just been phenomenal.

"He's been a great asset to us not only as a backup point guard, but also doing the job when Devin's been out. It's important for us to steal as many games as we can when Devin's out so he doesn't rush back."

Dooling smoothly ran the Nets' offense despite a rough shooting night. He missed New Jersey's first attempt of the game, a layup on the break, and finished the game 4-for-12 from the field. But after that initial miss, the ninth-year veteran assisted three of New Jersey's next four baskets, twice setting up Bobby Simmons jumpers and once hitting Brook Lopez on the move for a dunk.

With Harris -- and his 23-point average -- missing from the game, the offense diversified by necessity. In racing out to a 32-18 lead after one, Carter, Simmons and Brook Lopez each scored at least three baskets, combining for 30 points. In the second, Yi Jianlian paced the Nets with six points, barely ahead of Dooling's five.

"We did a good job of moving the ball," Dooling said. "With Devin down we had to rely on each other a lot more. Usually he is creating for himself and others. Tonight, we had to do it as a group."

But for a second straight game, Dooling played crucial lockdown defense on a player threatening to explode individually. After helping to hold Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin to 3-of-12 shooting in the second half of Monday's win (Martin was 8-for-9 through two quarters), Dooling swapped onto Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo at the end of the first half and immediately forced a turnover. He tapped the ball ahead to Carter, who flushed a one-handed dunk that put the Nets up by 16 points.

Mayo had 12 points in the second quarter, when he hit three of four three-point attempts, but scored only 11 in the second half and missed all three treys he put up after intermission. Despite clear evidence of his defensive prowess, Dooling shook off any individual attention.

"It wasn't just me," Dooling said. "It was a team effort. Our defensive scheme as a team is getting a lot better. O.J. can really get it going and for a lot of us it was the first time seeing him, so you didn't really know his tendencies. But he's a nice player and he's going to be nice for a long time to come."

Dooling accomplished all this despite playing 40 minutes when he averages 23.1 in an average night off the bench. Nets coach Lawrence Frank joked afterward that Dooling was probably mad at him for the extended run when five-minute bursts have been the norm, but said Dooling -- and Carter -- have been performing well as primary ballhandlers in Harris' absence.

Frank admitted to "getting creative" when it came to buying time via timeouts and stoppages, and it seemed to work. Carter (39 1/2 minutes) led the Nets with 25 points and 12 assists, shooting 12-of-14 at the line and 6-of-11 from the floor.

"You just kind of get your mind ready and you get your body ready as well and you just gut it out," Frank said. "It's not easy. We're asking a lot from Keyon and Vince."

Dooling stamped the Nets final points on the scoreboard by stripping Mayo one last time, racing downcourt, gauging his space and rising up for a two-handed slam with nine seconds remaining.

"My legs were a little heavy, but it was good," Dooling said as he smiled, wearily.

He earned it.

NOTES: Coming off Monday's 22-point, 13-rebound effort, Yi Jianlian finished with 20 points, six rebounds, two steals and a block. It was the first time in Yi's two-year career that he scored 20-or-more points in consecutive games ... Brook Lopez bounced back to form with 17 points (8-11 FGs), eight rebounds and five blocks ... This was the Nets' first win in five games without Devin Harris ... The Nets led the game wire-to-wire, marking the first time they had done so since playing Indiana on March 26, 2008.

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