Long Island Nets shoot down Blue Coats with big 2nd quarter

The Long Island Nets won their 4th straight game Wednesday, riding a huge 2nd quarter to a 115-106 victory over the Delaware Blue Coats at Nassau Coliseum.

The Long Island Nets blew the game with the Delaware Blue Coats open in the second quarter before cruising to a 115-106 victory at Nassau Coliseum Wednesday night.

With the win, the Nets (25-14) moved percentage points ahead of the Lakeland Magic (26-15) for the top spot in the NBA G League’s Eastern Conference and increased their lead in the Atlantic Division to 1½ games over Raptors 905 (24-16) and the Westchester Knicks (25-17).

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Delaware (16-22) led by as much as eight points in the first quarter and was up 27-24 at the quarter break.

Then Long Island lowered the boom. The Nets held the Blue Coats to just 6-of-19 shooting in the second quarter, including 0-for-7 from deep, and outscored the visitors 37-17 to open a 61-44 edge at the half.

Delaware twice got at close as four points in the third quarter, but never got closer than five in the final period.

The Nets shot just 40.9 percent (38-for-93) for the game, but hit 19-of-41 (46.3 percent) from deep and the often turnover-prone squad committed just seven on Wednesday, leading to nine points for the Blue Coats. Delaware’s nine turnovers yielded 10 Long Island points.

Delaware shot 48.3 percent (43-for-89), but was just 8-for-27 (29.6 percent) from long range. The teams were deadlocked with 49 rebounds apiece and the Blue Coats’ 66-36 edge in paint scoring was offset by the Nets’ 57-24 advantage from 3-point range.

Rookie Dzanan Musa, the Brooklyn Nets‘ first-round pick on assignment from the parent club, led the Nets with 20 points and also had five assists. Kamari Murphy came off the bench for 16 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks and Alan Williams chipped in 15 points, five dimes and two blocks.

Shannon Scott also blocked two shots for Long Island, while Jordan McLaughlin scored 18 points, Theo Pinson added 15 and Mitch Creek — just back from a stint with the Australian national team — tossed in 10.

Norvel Pelle led Delaware with 24 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks and former Net Rashad Vaughn added 21 points and five assists. Haywood Highsmith, on a two-way contract with the Blue Coats’ parent Philadelphia 76ers — had 11 boards and D.J. Hogg blocked two shots.

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The Nets will be idle until Saturday night, when they take on the Greensboro Swarm (20-20) at The Fieldhouse in Greensboro, N.C. The Swarm will host Westchester on Thursday morning.