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Avery Johnson wants to look at his starters' chemistry at Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, and expects to play them between 18 and 24 minutes. Also, expect him to go 10 deep, according to tweets out of the Atlantic City shootaround Saturday morning.
Johnson said four of the five starters will get around 24 minutesm with Brook Lopez getting around 18. But Johnson also indicated he'll play his rotation players the "bulk of minutes." Tuesday in Boston will be chance for end-of-bench players, including the camp invites, to get some playing time. How deep will he go vs. Sixers? No more than 10 deep. He wants to see certain combinations.
Brooklyn will need to rest its top players. They play three games in four nights. Only one of them, the Wizards Monday, is a home game.
The Nets coach added that he'd like to see an aggressive Mirza Teletovic, telling Rod Boone, "The main thing for him, we just want him to take his 3-point shots. When he's open, he can shoot it from the parking lot." Asked if he's looking forward to seeing the Euroleague star against NBA competition, Johnson replied. "It'll be a good little test for him."
Deron WIlliams said the priority, other than winning, was playing together. "This is what the preseason is about, trying to find the rhythm, trying to find chemistry," said D-Will.
Doug Collins praised the Nets backcourt. "They arguably have the best backcourt in the NBA now when you talk about Deron Williams and Joe Johnson," said the veteran Sixers coach. The Sixers, like the Nets, won't dress three players: Andrew Bynum (knee), Jason Richardson (ankle) and Dorell Wright.