Pistons-Nets Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Feb 07 2012 1:18PM

The New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons have gone in opposite directions since they met last Wednesday.

The Pistons have won consecutive games for the first time in a month while the Nets have lost three in a row heading into Wednesday night's opener of a home-and-home set at the Prudential Center.

New Jersey (8-18) won 99-96 at home over Detroit (6-20) last Wednesday. The Pistons lost their seventh straight on the road, falling to 1-12 away from Auburn Hills.

Detroit returned home and won two straight, with Greg Monroe averaging 21.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in those contests. Monroe has double-doubles in seven of his last eight games, only missing out when he had 21 points and eight boards in last week's loss to the Nets.

The second-year center will be averaging a double-double if he gets 13 rebounds Wednesday. His 16.3 points per game and 9.9 boards are major improvements from his rookie season.

"He wants to be a really special player, yet the thing that's amazing is unbelievable upside and growth," coach Lawrence Frank told the Pistons' official website. "He literally is just scratching it. There's so much more to come."

New Jersey has not won since beating Detroit, falling 108-87 at home to Chicago on Monday. The Nets trailed 35-14 after one quarter, and have been outscored by an average of 4.9 points in the opening period this season.

"Because we don't have much margin for error, we can't start out games like we did tonight," coach Avery Johnson said. "The first quarter has been a sore thumb for us, and we gotta do a better job, especially in the first quarter."

Deron Williams led New Jersey with 25 points against the Bulls, but was limited to five assists after amassing 25 over his previous two games.

Johnson talked about having a lengthy film session to help his club fix its numerous problems.

"We can't turn the ball over," Johnson said. "We gotta cover for each other. We gotta set good screens. We can't give up a lot of offensive rebounds. We gotta communicate in transition. We gotta know what plays we're running and where to be.

"So again, that's the real deal. There's really no rocket science to it."

Williams had 26 points and nine assists in last week's matchup with Detroit rookie Brandon Knight, who had 15 and four.

Knight broke his nose in the first quarter of Saturday's 89-87 win over New Orleans and did not return. If he plays Wednesday, he will wear a mask.

Frank, who coached the Nets from 2004-09, was ecstatic that he was able to hold his fourth and fifth practice sessions of the last 30 days this week. Saturday's game marked the end of a stretch in which the Pistons played seven times in nine days.

Ben Gordon and Will Bynum returned to practice this week, although it's unclear if either will play Wednesday. Gordon has been out the last 10 games with a sore left shoulder while Bynum has missed 14 in a row with a strained right foot tendon.

The home team has won the last seven meetings between these clubs. The rematch is Friday in Auburn Hills.

Monroe's double-double leads Pistons over Nets

By TOM CANAVAN
Posted Feb 08 2012 11:37PM

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) The Detroit Pistons aren't seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. They're just feeling better about themselves while riding their longest winning streak of the season and getting some key players back on the floor.

Greg Monroe had 20 points and 12 rebounds and the Pistons won their season-high third straight game with a 99-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Wednesday night.

"We have to keep this hunger," said Monroe, who iced the game with a monster drive and jam with 2:27 to play. "We have to continue to play and give these efforts so the wins will come more often. But we have to continue to play like this."

In winning for the seventh time in 27 games, the Pistons played good team basketball. They had 29 assists on 39 baskets, outrebounded New Jersey 41-36 and shot a season-high 53.4 percent from the field.

"We're gaining more confidence in each other," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said after his team won for only the second time on the road this season and snapped a seven-game slide away from the Motor City.

The Pistons are also getting some depth.

Jonas Jerebko, who is rounding into form after missing last season with an Achilles tendon injury, added 16 points. Tayshaun Prince had 15 and Ben Gordon, playing for the first time in 11 games, added 14 points for Detroit, which almost blew an 18-point second-half lead.

Prince said it was great to see Gordon back on the floor and Will Bynum dressed, even though he didn't play.

"It put a smile on everybody's face," Prince said. "When we saw those guys in their warmups, even if they didn't play, guys were more ready to play."

Deron Williams scored 17 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Nets, who have lost four in a row and nine times in 12 home games. Jordan Farmar added 22 off the bench and Kris Humphries had a game-high 16 rebounds.

"We lost," said Williams, who was 10 of 21 from the field. "That's about it. It's another loss at home. We've been struggling here all season, trying to find our shots and rhythm. It's hard to win when you are shooting in the 30-percent range."

A four-point play by Williams got New Jersey within 78-77, but Jerebko, Rodney Stuckey and Monroe scored to push the lead to eight.

The Nets made one more run as Williams sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a fadeaway jumper by Stuckey to narrow the Pistons' lead to 86-83 with 5:18 to play.

After Monroe missed a jumper and Farmar turned the ball over, Brandon Knight hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to 89-83. The Nets could get no closer as Williams missed his next two shots and Farmar misfired on a 3-pointer.

Two free throws by Prince and a monster drive and dunk from the foul line by Monroe ended the contest.

Gordon, who was out with a sore left shoulder, came back and was in form, scoring eight points in a 22-7 spurt that gave the Pistons a 44-31 lead late in the second quarter. The lead was 12 at the half and it grew to 18 points early in the third quarter when Stuckey hit a jumper to cap a 6-0 run to start the second half.

The Pistons lead was still 15 points with 5:35 to go in the third quarter when Williams scored seven straight points in a 14-6 burst to close the gap to seven points. New Jersey kept coming at the start of the fourth quarter with Williams hitting six of 10 shots, including four of his six - and career high-tying - 3-pointers.

"This was a team that had more energy than us and played with a lot more enthusiasm," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "Again, we have to generate more energy in this building. We have to generate more energy at home and we just didn't have it tonight."

Notes: The teams will play again Friday in Detroit, their third game in 10 days. ... Monroe, Knight and Nets rookie MarShon Brooks, who is sidelined with a toe injury, were among 18 players chosen for the Rising Stars Challenge to be held during All-Star weekend in Orlando. ... Knight, who broke his nose in the first quarter against New Orleans and did not return, played with a face shield. ... Nets backup C Johan Petro almost was ejected in the second quarter. He was called for a flagrant 2 on a block on Jerebko, but the officials reviewed the play and changed it to flagrant 1. Humphries and Monroe exchanged blocks on dunk attempts on consecutive plays.

Notebook: Pistons 99, Nets 92

Posted Thursday February 9, 2012 12:13AM

By Jake Appleman, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: After a first half in which the Nets shot the ball atrociously (34 percent) and frequently stood still as Pistons players slipped to the basket unnoticed, they fought back valiantly, but eventually fell to the Pistons 99-92.

Greg Monroe (20 points, 12 rebounds) paced the Pistons, who also got strong bench performances from Jonas Jerebko (16 points and seven rebounds) and Ben Gordon (14 points, 6-for-7 from the field), in his first game after missing 11. Deron Williams scored 34 points, including 27 in the second half, but his late heroics couldn't lift the Nets

QUOTABLE: "We have to keep this hunger, though. We have to continue to play and give these efforts so the wins will come more often."
-- Monroe, on the Pistons' season-high three-game winning streak

THE STAT: The Pistons scored 30 points in the paint in the first half. With Gordon hitting his jumper, the majority of their other baskets came on strong work underneath and off of dribble penetration against the Nets' shorthanded front line.

TURNING POINT: The Pistons went on a 9-0 run early in the second quarter run that staked them to a 33-24 lead. The run was highlighted by a Flagrant 1 foul from Johan Petro on Jerebko that was initially ruled a Flagrant 2, deflating the Nets and the crowd as Petro waited to see if he would be ejected.

QUOTABLE II: "That second quarter was really lopsided and that's where they got their confidence. If you had to put your finger on one [defining] moment, that was probably it."
-- Deron Williams

QUOTABLE III: "We were executing, but everything was a step slow. So if it was a rotation, it was a step slow and we weren't really communicating all the way through. Or it was the game plan we messed up on."
-- Anthony Morrow, on the Nets' defensive struggles

INSIDE THE ARENA: Will Blackmon from the Super Bowl champion New York Giants was shown on the Jumbotron.

ROOKIE WATCH: MarShon Brooks spoke to reporters before the game about being selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Brooks will be out at least three more games with a broken pinkie toe. Jordan Williams was ineffective in his 11 minutes. The Pistons' Brandon Knight (13 points, four assists) had a more stable performance in his second trip to Newark and Walker Russell Jr. had an excellent spurt in the second quarter. Vernon Macklin did not play.

NOTABLE: Shelden Williams threw down an emphatic dunk early in the first quarter to the delight of the crowd. ... It took over 23 minutes of game time for either team to make a 3-pointer. Jordan Farmar (22 points) broke the drought from the corner. ... Monroe's facial slam put the Pistons up 93-85 and sealed the victory. Keith Bogans hurt his left foot on the play and will undergo an M.R.I. on Thursday. ... Deron Williams' six 3-pointers, all in the second half, tied a career-high. With a four-point play from Williams, the Nets now lead the NBA in that category with six on the season.

UP NEXT: For the Pistons, Friday vs. New Jersey, Sunday vs. Washington, Tuesday vs. San Antonio. For the Nets, Friday @ Detroit, Saturday vs. San Antonio, Wednesday vs. Memphis.

• Pistons: Villanueva
• Nets: James, Lopez

• Pistons: Jerebko, Monroe
• Nets: Humphries, Williams

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• Officials: #25 Tony Brothers, #54 Nick Buchert, #71 Rodney Mott
• Attendance: 10145
• Duration: 2:15