R. J. Hunter hadn’t arrived yet. Taurean Prince and Mike Scott were back in Atlanta and Donnie McGrath was on his way to Greece. Not to mention the Long Island Nets had just been blown out on the first night of a back-to-back.
Still, Brooklyn’s D-League affiliate won its sixth of their last ten Saturday, beating Erie, 108-90, on the road. Key to the win was the return of two NBA veterans who were hurt early in the season, Carrick Felix (leg) and Lazar Hayward (hand). The two swingmen combined for 32 points.
Felix and Hayward were among eight players who finished in double figures. Yogi Ferrell (20 points, seven assists), Chris McCullough (14 points, seven rebounds) and Boris Dallo (two points, 10 assists) stepped on the gas after some early sloppiness, built a 19-point lead after three, then coasted in the fourth. Only Ferrell played 30 minutes on the night, but all 10 players who stepped on the court played at least 20. McCullough, for example, played only 28 minutes, hitting 4-of-9 overall, grabbing seven boards and adding two blocks and two steals.
With a dozen open roster spots across the NBA, it’s possible that the Long Island roster could change again, but Ronald Nored, the Nets 26-year-old coach, has proven he can mix and match.
The young Nets are now 8-15 with an outside shot at the D-League playoffs. No D-League expansion team has ever done that.
Long Island plays again Tuesday vs. Fort Wayne at Barclays Center. Hunter should be available then.
Full game video is available here.
- Box Score: Long Island Nets 108, Eric Bayhawks 90 - D-League
- Highlights: Yogi Ferrell (Video) - D-League
- Highlights: Chris McCullough (Video) - D-League
- Highlights: Boris Dallo (Video) - D-League
- BayHawks Unable To Exact Revenge On Nets - D-League
- Long Island pulls away, hands BayHawks 3rd straight loss - John Dudley - Erie Times-News