Game 29 Recap: Spurs 103, Nets 89

In a game that the Nets never led in, they also happened to get handedly beat by one of the best teams in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs. After a tight 1st quarter in which San Antonio outscored the Nets 24-22, the Spurs extended their lead with a 31-point 2nd quarter after which they held a 55-40 lead by halftime. The normal issues of bad shooting and terrible defensive rotations plagued the Nets throughout this game as they couldn't dig themselves out of the 15-point deficit they facd after two quarters.

Not surprisingly, Deron Williams was the only Nets player who provided consistent offense during the game as he scored 27 points to go along with eight assists. Like the rest of the Nets, at some points in the game D-Will settled for long, contested jumpshots that just didn't fall the whole game. Even though he did have eight free throw attempts, Deron definitely would have been more effective if he drove to the hoop earlier in the game instead of talking 3-pointers, of which he only 25 percent of last night.

As a team, New Jersey made it to the free throw line for the first time at the 3:28 mark of the 2nd quarter. As it hasn't done in recent games, the Nets' 3-pointers didn't fall as they were a dreadful 7-24 from behind the arc against the tough Spurs team. By settling for bad shots that didn't fall instead of driving to the hoop to draw fouls, the Nets blew multiple chances on the offensive end to get easier points at the foul line than harder points from 25 feet away from the basket.

Game 29 Preview: San Antonio Spurs (18-9) at Nets (8-20)

I miss RJ and I wish the Nets never traded him away. Damn you Bobby Simmons and Yi Jianlian!

The Nets look to snap a five-game losing streak tonight against the San Antonio Spurs who are getting their best pure scorer, Manu Ginobili, back from injury for the game. Ginobili has been out since Jan. 2nd and there is no news on whether the Argentinian will be starting of if he will just play a few minutes to shake off the rust. On the other hand, the Nets are receiving no good injury news for tonight as they will only have 10 healthy players dressed for the game. Uh oh.

Background on San Antonio
The Spurs are riding a season-high six-game winning streak right now with their last two wins, coming over Memphis and Philly, being on their annual Rodeo road trip, which is always their longest stretch away from home for the whole season. Their recent stretch of good play has gotten them into the 1st spot of the Southwest Division, two game above their cross-state rivals, the defending champion Mavericks and the Rockets.   San Antonio was playing well even without Ginobili but, of course, they are a much more explosive team when Manu is in the line-up. The Spurs are a perennial contender, while the Nets couldn't be more the opposite. Uh oh.

Netlinked 2/11/12- Nets Get Crushed by Detroit, Ginobili Returns for Spurs, Nets Front-Runners for Dwight?

Ginobili always seems to have big games against the Nets, hopefully he doesn't continue that dominance tonight

I wasn't able to watch last night's game against Detroit which is why there wasn't a preview or recap for the game. Hopefully this makes up for it:

Last night, the Nets got absolutely ran out of the arena by the surging Detroit Pistons for the second game in a row in a 109-92 loss. The return of Marshon Brooks from a toe injury was spoiled by an incredibly lackluster effort by the Nets in a game that they trailed by 19 points at half-time after only 33 points scored in the 1st half. In their 5th straight loss, the Nets were simply outplayed Pistons team that was rejuvenated by big performances by Greg Monroe (18 pts, 11 rebs), Jonas Jerebko (20 pts), and Rodney Stuckey (19 pts).

The Nets have a quick turnaround from last night's game as they take on the Spurs at the Prudential Center tonight (I will be in attendance). San Antonio will get a huge boost from the return of Manu Ginobili, who will play for the first time since breaking his hand back on January 2nd. I really don't think that the Nets will have a chance tonight but in this compressed season, anything can happen (My full preview for the game will be up later).

Finally, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that he believes that a resolution to the Dwight-mare will occur in the offseason and doesn't think that Magic owner Richard DeVos wants to trade Howard at all. He also mentions that he still views the Nets as Dwight's current favorite destination for free agency. I hope he's right, this whole saga is taking its toll on Deron Williams and the rest of the team and might even be partly to blame for the poor start of the season.