Los Angeles Clippers 93 Brooklyn Nets 102 F
Brooklyn NY:The reunion tour continued on for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, after defeating their former team the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. Tonight marked the duo’s first game against their former coach Doc Rivers, with whom they won the 2008 NBA Championship with while in Boston. After trailing 25-20 at the end of the first quarter, the Nets had a huge second quarter and outscored the Clippers 36-19. Deron Williams and reserve forward Andray Blatche led the offensive onslaught with 12 points each in the quarter. Blatche would finish the game tied with Joe Johnson for the most points for Brooklyn in the contest, ending his night with 21 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
The Nets are now on a season-high winning streak, after beating Los Angeles. The loss was the first of the year for the Clippers when their star point guard Chris Paul scores at least 20 points. Paul had exactly 20 points on the night, to go along with a meager two assists and two rebounds. Blake Griffin finished with a double-double, pulling down 11 boards and scoring 12 points.
About the only negative the Nets could take away from the game was that Brook Lopez went down with a sprained ankle in the third quarter. The forward would return to the game, but with less than two minutes left in the third, would head to the locker room to be examined. He is currently listed as day-to-day. With the Nets traveling to Detroit to face the Pistons in a 7:30 pm start on Friday, there is a good chance Lopez will sit out.
Notes: Paul Pierce came off the bench for the second consecutive game, since returning to the team after breaking his hand. The 15-year veteran had 10 points and five assists in 26 minutes.
Reggie Evans was the only Brooklyn Nets player not to see any playing time in Thursday’s win. However, if Lopez is out of the lineup, expect the Nets to insert the rugged forward into the rotation. On his career, Evans averages 7.2 rebounds per game, but that number is down to 4.9 this season because of limited minutes.
Gregory Aaron:PureSportNY