The Nets, who have already had two looks at the Heat, will now get their second look at the Magic in the last eight days. It will be a challenge again for the Nets' big men with Dwight Howard pushing out big numbers and pushing off anyone who dares try to defend him. In particular, it will be a challenge for Brook Lopez who has played poorly since last facing Howard.
One bright spot for the Nets is the play of Devin Harris, who last game showed the kind of skill, poise and leadership that made him an All-Star two years ago. It wasn't just the 31 points, 9 assists and 14 trips to the line that impressed his coach. It was his defense. "Devin right now as a point guard defender, I wouldn’t take many guys over him," said Avery Johnson.
As for the Magic, they're 5-3 after losing to the Raptors at home on Friday. Howard wound up playing nearly 44 minutes in the game. As Orlando's second option, Vince Carter has played well, shooting better than 52% overall and nearly 44% from deep.
- New Jersey Nets Game Notes - New Jersey Nets
- Orlando Magic Game Notes - Orlando Magic
- Getting Inside - New Jersey Nets.- Sports Xchange
- Getting Inside - Orlando Magic - Sports Xchange
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Magic-Nets Preview - Stats LLC
- Harris holds key to Nets' success - Al Iannazzone - The Nets Insider
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Brook Lopez gets an earful on dealing with Superman - Al Iannazzone - The Record
- Lopez seeks Magic touch - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Nets looking for Lopez to be more 'decisive' in re-match with Howard - Colin Stephenson - Star-Ledger
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Avery Johnson wants Nets' Brook Lopez to be more decisive - Roger Rubin - New York Daily News
- Raptors 110, Magic 106 - NBA.com
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Magic-Nets preview - Brian Schmitz - Orlando Sentinel