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BROOKLYN, New York -- Andre Iguodala and Danilo Gallinari were both out for the Nuggets, while Deron Williams (ankles) missed his second straight game. Advantage, Nets? Yes, indeed.
Before the game P.J. Carlesimo said the Nets needed to limit their turnovers and slow the game down, in order to beat the Nuggets. Well, the Nets couldn't quite slow the game down since, well, they played about as up-beat and quick, offensively speaking, as they have in quite some time, scoring 72 total points between the second and third quarters, on their way to beating the Nuggets by 11 points, 119-108.
In the first quarter, the Nets did their best to limit the Nuggets on the break and forcing the Nuggets into half-court sets. C.J. Watson provided a nice spark early, stretching the offense, scoring a team-high five points, but while they were too busy trying to limit the Nuggets on the defensive side of the ball, they forgot how to play offense -- at least for a 5-minute stretch in which they couldn't find the bottom of the basket. After one, the Nuggets carried a 26-23 lead over the Nets.
Kris Humphries provided much of the offense in the first half for the Nets. He scored 10 points in 10 minutes, while the shooters helped in stretching the floor and providing space in the middle. The Nets, in fact, shot 9-of-14 from the 3-point line in the first half, and helped themselves to a 62-57 lead.
The question now became, could the Nets keep up this offensive pace, one that the Nuggets are quite comfortable playing.
Well, the Nets flipped the script a little in the third, getting out and running the Nuggets off the court. The ball movement was crisp, the defense was active and the threes continued to fall. Midway through the quarter the Nets had out-socred the Nuggets 21-8.
Watson, Johnson, Lopez and Humphries continued the offensive onslaught. After scoring 39 points in the second quarter, they went on to score 33 in the third, carrying a 95-81 lead into the fourth.
The Nuggets made a run early in the fourth, pulling to within seven with nine minutes left in the game. Carlesimo quickly called a timeout and re-inserted his starters. The score floated around in that six- to seven-point range for most of the fourth until the Nets were able to build a 15-point lead late in the quarter and walk away with the victory.
It was all about the offense.
Watson, who started for D-Will, scored a season-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting (and five threes), while Humphries finished with 14 points in 19 minutes points and Johnson led the way with 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
Tyshaun Taylor with a career-best four assists to go along with three rebounds and six points (on two threes) in 15 minutes.
Andray Blatche left the game early in the second quarter after hurting his foot/ankle, when he landed on Kosta Koufos. He did come out and play in the second half.
For more on the Nuggets, see: Denver Stiffs
- Nuggets at Nets - February 13, 2013 - Box score - NBA.com
- Johnson and Nets beat Nuggets 119-108 - AP
- Nuggets vs. Nets: First half (Video) - NBA.com
- McGee Goes High for the Lob (Video) - NBA.com
- Lob and Slam (Video) - NBA.com
- Johnson's Pretty Jumper (Video) - NBA.com
- Watson discusses 119-108 win over Nuggets (Video) - Chris Shearn - YES Network
- Carlesimo discusses 119-108 win over the Nuggets (Video) - YES Network
- Lopez discusses Nets' 119-108 win over Nuggets (Video) - YES Network
- Nets Defeat Denver Nuggets - Howard Beck - New York Times
- Nets’ Tyshawn Taylor Eager to Prove He Is No Fluke - Zach Schonbrun - New York Times
- Watson, replacing the injured Williams, and Johnson combine for 51 points - Seth Walder - NY Daily News
- Watson Delivers, Nets Run to a Win - Tom Perrotta - Wall Street Journal
- Nets win second in row without Deron - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Veteran Watson busts out of slump in style - Tim Bontemps - New York Post
- Nets’ best still to come - George Willis - New York Post
- Nets refuse to allow letdown, beat undermanned Nuggets - Rod Boone - Newsday
- One big game makes Tyshawn Taylor popular guy - Rod Boone - Newsday
- Rapid Reaction: Nets 119, Nuggets 108 - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- C.J. is A-OK in win over Denver - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- Nets look ahead after big win - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
- D-Will In The Danger Zone? - Sekou Smith - NBA.com
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Nets Fans, Take It Easy On Deron Williams; What Should GM Do? - Steve Lichtenstein - WFAN
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Team ball the ticket for Nets (Video) - Gregory Hrinya - Examiner
- Nets top Nuggets, head into break with win - Lou DiPietro - YES Network
- Hello Offense: Nets 119, Nuggets 108 - Justin Defeo- The Brooklyn Game
- Rapid Recap: #Nets 119, #Nuggets 108 - Jim Mancari - SNY Nets
- Brooklyn Nets vs. Denver Nuggets Recap: Nets Hang on To Win Minus Deron Williams - Jonah Mars - From Russia With Dunk
- Nets vs Nuggets Recap: It's Raining Threes - Ali Tahir - Nets Take Over
- Nuggets, minus Igoudala and Gallinari, lose at Brooklyn Nets - Benjamin Hochman - Denver Post
- Photos: Denver Nuggets fall to Brooklyn Nets, 119-108 - Denver Post
- First half game thread - NetsDaily
- Second half game thread - NetsDaily