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Nets Claw Back Against Bobcats By Matt McQueeny, NJNets.com Orlando, Fl. – The Nets beat the Bobcats today, 72-66, in Day 4 of the Pepsi Pro Summer League. New Jersey, now 2-2, had five players in double-figure scoring, led by Hassan Adams and Marcus Williams, each with 16 points apiece. Adams added six rebounds and three assists and Marcus added five assists. Sean Williams, continuing to show incremental improvement through the week, had 14 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes. He was 6-of-8 from the line, making him 12-for-14 over the past two days in that category. He also got a little more involved in the flow of the offense, most notably in the fourth quarter where he scored six points and got to the line six times, all happening in the final four and a half minutes. Through the week, he has shown a nice little back-to-the-basket turn around jump shot, something he successfully exhibited a few times today. Lastly, Robert Hite had 11 points and nine rebounds and Josh Davis had his second double-double in as many days, with 13 points and 11 boards. Jared Dudley led the way for the Bobcats with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Bobby Brown also had 16, on 7-of-18 from the floor, and dished five assists. Through the first half, it kind of looked like the Nets were carrying over yesterday’s 90-65 loss into today. The Bobcats closed the first quarter on a 14-2 run to lead 21-12. Jared Dudley came out with all the energy, scoring 11 in the quarter, on 3-for-3 from the field. He grabbed four boards, and got to the line eight times. New Jersey had eight turnovers and shot 31% from the field. The Bobcats pushed their lead to 10 (34-24) at the half. To that point, the Nets shot 33% and had 13 turnovers. Then it turned around. The Nets rolled off a third quarter run of 17-4 to take back the lead and extended it to a 24-7 run to push the lead to 54-47. It was a 15-point swing by quarter’s end and the Nets led 55-50 going into the fourth. The Nets shot 77% in the third, with Marcus Williams scoring nine and Sean Williams six. “I thought the third quarter was great,” said Nets Head Coach Lawrence Frank. “Everyone contributed; we had five guys in double-figures…We were able to play inside out, we were able to get the ball inside, we shot a higher percentage, we didn’t have nearly the same amount of turnovers. We were able to turn that game around. But that third quarter was big to have a 15 point swing.” Charlotte, however, shot back in the fourth. When Gabe Muoneke hit a prayer bank shot jumper, and one, and converted the free-throw, the Bobcats led 61-59 with four and a half minutes to go. Sean Williams tied the game back up on the next possession with two free-throws, and sparked an 8-0 run. Williams – including the two free-throws – scored six points in the run, effectively putting the game away. Coach Frank saw some things he really liked. “Robert Hite got on the floor for some loose balls, Hassan made some big buckets and big plays, Sean I think took another step in terms of getting better. It was encouraging.” Earlier in the week Marcus Williams talked about how he has been putting in his time with pick-and-rolls during the off-season. It has seemingly been a focus for him this week on the floor. Coach Frank was asked about how he felt about the development throughout the week. “Marcus is a good pick-and-roll player,” said Frank. “It’s just about making the right reads but sometimes what you need is everybody on the same page and because you just throw guys together (in Summer League), that doesn’t always happen.” “But he made a big pass to Sean; you know where Sean (Williams) was able to get to the line on the roll. He had some good success on the right side of the floor, on some side pick-and-rolls going to his left; he put together around four points. He did some good things.” The Nets end their Summer League schedule tomorrow at 11 am when they play the Chicago Bulls. It could be a nice week-finisher for Sean Williams, with the prospect of facing the hyper-athletic Tyrus Thomas and the very big Aaron Gray. |
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