PHILADELPHIA—Late in the second quarter of Friday's game in Philadelphia, Nets forward Trenton Hassell – making his first start of the season – tossed an entry pass to Eduardo Najera on the low block. Najera took one dribble and kicked it back out to a cutting Hassell, who used Najera's box-out screen to go up for a short layup.

The Sixers came down the court off the make, and their offense stagnated, allowing the two Nets veterans to trap Thaddeus Young in the corner, forcing a 24-second violation. Brook Lopez traveled to turn the ball back to Philly, but Courtney Lee stole the ball ... only to have it deflected out-of-bounds in the halfcourt. Off the inbounds play, Rafer Alston pulled up and swished a jumper to give the Nets their first lead in five minutes.

Like most of the game, it wasn't easy, it involved a working man's effort, and it might not be repeatable. The Nets battled until the Sixers edged them out, 97-94, going ahead for good with two minutes left when Andre Iguodala nailed a tie-breaking three. Cagey veteran play kept the Nets aloft on a night when they had only nine available players to start – and eight by game's end: Lee exited in the third with a strained left groin. The starting guard said afterward he's "day-to-day" and wouldn't rule himself out for tomorrow's home game against he Celtics.

"It seems like we keep losing bodies," Najera said. "We missed (Chris Douglas-Roberts) a lot tonight. But we knew we were going to compete and compete. We felt we had a good chance to win this ball game. We played hard. It’s tough because we felt that we deserved this game. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it. Now we have to turn around and play a good team tomorrow."

While Lopez anchored the effort with an 22-point, 11-rebound, three-block performance in the post, Hassell also posted a double-double, totaling 17 points (on efficient 8-for-13 shooting) and 12 rebounds. It's impressive considering Hassell had barely played in the previous five games, logging merely eight minutes, all in Wednesday's blowout loss to the Nuggets.

But the veteran has been one of Lawrence Frank's favorite players since arriving from the Mavericks alongside Devin Harris. Frank started Hassell due to Terrence Williams' status as backup point guard, which meant that if either he or Alston got in early foul trouble, the Nets would be further handicapped.

Hassell's easy-going demeanor and quick smile belie no ill attitude, regardless of the nightly number of minutes. And while he wins more post-practice shooting contests than you'd expect, Hassell knows his offensive contributions are ultimately additional. Postgame, he would only admit to it feeling good to have the chance to help the team win, and that any individual accolades are hard to hold onto in the wake of a loss.

"Trenton Hassell, the guy is the epitome of the professional," Frank said. "He goes from not playing to playing 45 minutes. To give that kind of performance, you just have to commend how professional guys like him (are). When you have performances like that, you just want to capitalize with the win. We just couldn’t do enough."

With the team's optimal offensive options dwindling steadily, Alston entered the game knowing it would be crucial for everyone to trust each other and their execution. The veteran PG logged 40 minutes, shooting 6-of-13 and dishing out six assists while leading a balanced attack; four Nets scored double-figures and all eight to play posted at least six points on the board.

Despite shooting 3-of-10, Williams posted a career-high nine assists as the team racked up 25 on 39 makes. And the Nets matched the Sixers' 41 rebounds, with Josh Boone adding seven off the bench; Philadelphia had been averaging three more boards than their opponents entering the game. It was a total team effort of the kind they're going to need to repeat if they hope to upset the Celtics.

"We’re defeated, but we know we had a chance," Hassell said. "We kept on competing, we didn’t give up even when they made their runs and we were a shot or two or a stop away. And we’ve got a game tomorrow, so we can’t dwell on this one. We’ve got to try to win tomorrow’s game and try to get in the win column."

NETS NOTES
76ers coach Eddie Jordan is a Brook Lopez fan, saying pregame: "We know what he can do – he’s legitimate. He’s a big-sized guy, he has terrific skills around the basket – certainly near the basket. And they run a lot of things to his direction: postups, pick-and-rolls. He’ll get a lot of touches, and we’ll have to do a terrific job defensively."

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