Wizards vs. Nets Live Notes

The Nets are hosting the Washington Wizards at the Prudential Center tonight. After every quarter, I will post a few of my thoughts.

First quarter

Jordan Crawford is off to a very quick start. He can create his own shot and score in transition. MarShon Brooks cannot defend him.
MarShon is just off right now. He is a rookie in a slump. I am not surprised that he is becoming inconsistent late in his first NBA season.
Gerald Wallace is also having trouble finishing this quarter. He is visibly frustrated. Still, he is playing well enough that Coach Avery Johnson is electing to play him more often than Gerald Green. Wallace provides valuable defense.
Jordan Williams replaces Kris Humphries 4 minutes into game. I am surprised because Jordan Williams rarely plays in the first quarter. Humphries is getting instruction from his coaches.
Petro has seemed overmatched since entering the game midway through the quarter. New Wizard Center, Nene, is absolutely dominating him by rebounding and scoring on layups and jump shots. Also, Kevin Seraphin jumped over his fellow Frenchmen Petro and dunked right over him.
The Wizards lead 33-25 at the end of the quarter.

Second quarter

Sundiata Gaines has finally been inserted back into the lineup after being benched in favor of D League call up Jerry Smith. Gaines is trying very hard. He made a nice steal, leading to a Humphries dunk, then got blindsided on a screen. He has been diving and falling all over the court.
The Wizards are committing a ton of fouls this quarter and the Nets are converting on foul shots.
Deron Williams makes a beautiful layup off a creative pass fake. John Wall promptly responds with a thunderous dunk. Great stuff.
Avery Johnson has found reason to complain to the referees a few times this quarter.
At halftime, the Wizards lead 56-53. The Nets played better in the second quarter than they did in the first.

Halftime statistics

For the Nets, Deron Williams has 17 points already! Kris Humphries has a monster 10 rebounds. Gerald Wallace has taken 11 shots already but only 7 points.
For the Wizards, Nene and Jordan Crawford each have 14 points! The Nets need to contain them in the second half.

Third quarter

The beginning of the third quarter feels very similar to the start of the first quarter. The Nets have started off slow.
Humphries has been very engaged all game. He had a very nice “And-1” on a transition dunk.
The Nets are climbing back into the game with two consecutive three’s. They now trail by 4.
The Wizards have gained back the momentum in a big way. John Wall has hit two jump shots and distributed the ball well.
Deron Williams has just been ejected. This is not good. Deron has verbalized more frustration as the season has gone on and he has just demonstrated his frustration once again.
The Wizards have just completed a 12-0 run.
And Avery Johnson has just been ejected too. Wow. If I am not mistaken, this is only the second time Coach Avery has been ejected during his tenure as Nets head coach. This is quickly turning into the worst quarter of the Nets’ season.
Now that Deron Williams is out of the game, the Nets are very shorthanded at point guard. Sundiata Gaines has not stepped up. He is not playing smart basketball.
Gerald Wallace just picked up his fourth foul. He is very upset with the referees.
The Nets are trailing 84-72 at the end of the third quarter. This has been the worst quarter of the season. I expect some fallout from this frustration. The post-game press conferences may be hard to watch.

Fourth quarter

The Wizards are now up by 14. Kevin Seraphin has scored a lot of points.
MarShon Brooks has finally entered the building. He has put up a few quick points. Nets trail by 10.
MarShon just tried to do too much on a transition play and missed a contested layup. Wizards sharpshooter, Roger Mason took advantage and buried a three shortly after. This is a dagger.
Now it is officially Nets – Wizards garbage time and I think it is absolutely unwatchable. Jerry Smith, D-League regular, has entered the game. Wizards lead by 17.
Final score: Wizards win 108-89. The Nets have lost 12 of their last 14 games at home.

Jonah will have a game recap once he returns home from the game.