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Brooklyn Nets Highlights: Brook Lopez, Deron Williams Lead Nets To Important Win Over Charlotte Hornets

By Kenneth Teape

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88. 170. 91. 147. Final

Brooklyn Nets Highlights: Nets Pick Up Important Victory For Playoff Push Over Charlotte Hornets

As recently as two weeks ago, the Brooklyn Nets season looked to be doomed. After a horrible homestand they went 1-4 on, their road trip was on it’s way to being just as poor as the Miami Heat defeated them as well. But something must have clicked after that, as the Nets began playing some better basketball, going 5-2 since then, including Wednesday night’s huge victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Hornets are one of the six teams that are within 4.5 games of sixth place in the Eastern Conference, along with the Nets, Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. Not coincidentally, the Nets have gone 3-1 against those five other teams in this turnaround, which has gotten them right back into the thick of the playoff race.

With the victory tonight, the Nets now sit only a .5 game out of eighth place in the East, tied with the Hornets and trailing the Pacers and Celtics. A big reason for the turnaround has been the play of two of the Nets’ big 3, Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.

Lopez has been on a tear recently, as he has proved to be virtually unstoppable on the offensive end. Tonight that dominance continued, as Lopez broke the 30 point barrier for the third time in the last four games, pouring in a game-high 34 points. Arguably more impressive for Lopez tonight though was that he was a factor in the paint.

It is no secret that Lopez leaves much to be desired sometimes rebounding and defensively, but against the Hornets he stepped up in both categories. He pulled down 10 boards for his fifth double-double of the month and 12th of the season, to go with three blocks; it was the fifth consecutive game Lopez recorded multiple blocks in.

While Lopez dominated the interior, Williams had a strong night on the perimeter. While he struggled with his shot, making only 2-9 from the field, Williams was still able to record a double-double with 10 points and 14 assists. He set his teammates up beautifully all night, and it was nice to see him help the team out so much without putting up gaudy scoring numbers. He was near a triple-double even tonight, as he had seven rebounds as well.

Off the bench, Alan Anderson led the way, as he scored an efficient 13 points on 6-10 from the field to go with three rebounds, one assist and one steal.

The defense for the Nets tonight was strong as well, as they held the Hornets to 39.6 percent shooting on the night. But with such a close game, there were some Hornets that had some success against the Nets, as Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson both scored with relative ease.

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The duo each scored 23 points, as Jefferson added 10 rebounds for a double-double to go with two assists and two blocks, while Henderson added one rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The outcome of the game tonight though can be pointed at one area; free throw shooting. The Nets made the most of their opportunities, making 10-11 from the charity stripe, while the Hornets did not, making only 13-20 of theirs.

The Nets will be kicking off another homestand Friday in a tough matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will be looking to exact some revenge on the Cavaliers, who ran the Nets out of Cleveland last Wednesday the last game of their road trip.

Next: Are the Nets closer to a title than the Knicks?

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