Gerald Wallace didn’t need to be told it had been awhile since he had last scored in double figures.
“It’s probably been all season,” Wallace said with a wry smile after scoring 13 points and grabbing eight rebounds in Tuesday’s 108-98 victory over the Hornets in Brooklyn.
It hadn’t been all season, but it had been 12 games since Wallace cracked double-figures, and just the fifth time in 32 games since Jan. 1.
For all of the things that Wallace brings to the table for the Nets — defense, energy, intensity, effort — his lack of scoring punch has at times made him a liability on the court, to the point where he didn’t play in the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia.
“My main thing is just trying to figure out a way to score,” he said. “Right now, it’s all mental. My shot isn’t falling, I’m getting to the rim and I’m not attacking the rim like I’m used to doing … it’s just a whole lot of things.
“I think me beating my head up against a wall has made things a little worse, but I think tonight will hopefully get me headed in the right direction, especially as we’re going into the playoffs.”
Wallace has been completely out of sorts in March shooting the ball. In seven games this month, the 6-foor-7 small forward is shooting 16-for-53 (30.2 percent) from the field, including a dismal 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range.
But the difference in his game against the Hornets was that Wallace didn’t hesitate to repeatedly take the ball hard to the rim — even against the imposing presence of rookie power forward Anthony Davis — and earn himself several trips to the foul line in the process, where he went 7-for-9.
“Gerald did a good job of attacking on being aggressive on the offensive end, which I’ve been telling him to do all season,” Deron Williams said. “We need him to be looking to score a lot more.”
While Wallace’s scoring woes have been an issue for the Nets, interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said before the game that Wallace can still be a valuable piece even when he’s not putting the ball in the basket.
“I’m not overly concerned,” Carlesimo said. “Gerald brings 18 things to the table that are as, if not more important, than if he’s not shooting the ball well or he’s struggling offensively.
“He’s so important to us, because of the intensity with which he competes, [and] his defense.”
But with four days off before the Nets play again Sunday against the Hawks in Brooklyn, Wallace is hopeful he will be able to carry the momentum he gained going forward into the final few weeks of the season.
“I hope so,” he said. “I won’t have to beat myself up tonight, so that’ll help. Hopefully this is a starter. I was able to get to the rim a lot more. I was able to get to the free throw line and make some free throws, so just seeing the ball go into the basket and my momentum getting to the rim is kind of a positive thing.”