It may have been his last game of the season, but if it was, Deron Williams went out with a bang. Williams tied a career high with 21 assists and hit the game-winning jumper to beat the Timberwolves at the Prudential Center on Tuesday, after the Nets lost another double-digit lead in the second half.
Behind 14 from Brook Lopez, the Nets scored 29 points in the first quarter and were in control for most of the game. They led by as many as 15 early in the third quarter, but the Timberwolves came back and eventually tied the game when Travis Outlaw was called for goaltending on a Michael Beasley shot with 7.8 seconds left in regulation. Williams then hit a step-back jumper with 1.7 seconds on the clock to put the Nets back up two, and Beasley missed a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Nets the win.
The Nets shot 47 percent from the field and 9-for-20 from 3-point range. Lopez led all scorers with 30 points on 13-for-23 from the field, and grabbed 12 boards as well. Williams had 18 points with his 21 assists, and Sasha Vujacic added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Before the game, Williams expressed more frustration about his right wrist injury. And instead of travelling with the team to Detroit for Wednesday's game against the Pistons, he'll see a hand specialist.
- Boxscore - NBA.com
- Game Highlights (Video) - NBA.com
- Timberwolves-Nets notebook - Jake Appleman - NBA.com
- Williams hits game-winner with 1.7 seconds left - Tom Canavan - AP
- Deron's late hoop fuels Nets - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Lopez emerges as Nets' Iron Man - Fred Kerber - New York Post
- Williams drives the lane late in injury-plagued Nets' win over Timberwolves - Conor Orr - Star-Ledger
- Nets notebook: Deron Williams plans to get MRI on wrist Wednesday - Conor Orr - Star-Ledger
- Deron Williams’ 21 assists carry Nets ... for last time this season? - Al Iannazzone - The Record
- Deron hits game-winner in possible season finale - Al Iannazzone - The Nets Insider
- Williams hits game-winner in Nets' 107-105 win over Timberwolves - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News
- Avery Johnson, the uplifter, sees "tremendous upside" with Nets - Stefan Bondy - The InterNets
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 107, T-Wolves 105 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Williams to see hand specialist about wrist - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Williams bails out Nets once again - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Frustration continues to mount for D-Will - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Botched breakaway epitomizes Wolves season - Jerry Zgoda - Minneapolis Star Tribune