From Dennis Velasco,
Your Guide to Basketball.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

NEW JERSEY NETS

Recap Rewind: Knowing very well that their playoff destinies have yet to be decided, the New Jersey Nets set out to help their cause… Starting at home against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, the Nets, led by reserve Bostjan Nachbar’s 26 points, came away with an expected victory… On Friday night the team traveled to Chicago to take on an injury depleted Bulls team. After falling behind by as much 18 points in the first half, the Nets ended up dropping the contest 105-74… The next night Vince Carter and company looked to bounce back. Given the opportunity to take on the Washington Wizards without Gilbert Arenas, the Nets not only squeezed out a win, but made history. Led by heroic performances from Carter and Jason Kidd, New Jersey topped the Wizards in overtime.

Notable News: In Wednesday’s victory over the Hawks Bostjan Nachbar hit a career high 7 three-pointers en route to 26 points. Nachbar’s career best for total points, 29, was set in January… The Nets fought back from an 18 point deficit against the Bulls for the third time this season. The only difference this time around is that they failed to come away with the win… On Saturday, Vince Carter hit for a season high 46 points; it was his sixth 40+ game of the season. Carter also added a career high 16 rebounds and 10 assists, giving him the triple-double… Jason Kidd joined Carter on the glass with 16 rebounds and then added in 18 assists for good measure. Kidd also added 10 points giving him a triple-double of his own. The last two teammates to register triple-doubles in the same game were Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in 1989.

Fast Forward: The Nets are on the road for the majority of this critical next week. Up first for New Jersey is a rematch with the Wizards in Washington, followed by a game in Cleveland… They then head back to New Jersey to face the New York Knicks before traveling to Indiana to fend off the Pacers and finally to New York for another game against the Knicks… The Nets currently hold a half game lead on the eighth seeded Orlando Magic, but trail sixth place Washington by just three games… With the absence of Gilbert Arenas, the chance of climbing into that sixth seed seems much more plausible for Nets fans.