NBA

Prokhorov misses Nets home opener

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov didn’t attend last night’s 106-70 shellacking at the hands of the Hawks in the Nets’ final home opener in New Jersey.

In his absence, Prokhorov, who is a candidate for the Russian presidency, issued the following statement: “To Nets players, staff and fans: I very much wanted to be with you today, but other obligations have prevented me from making the trip to the home opener. I will be watching and rooting for the team from Moscow.

“Rest assured that I am with you in spirit and will be with you in body, too, as soon as my schedule permits. To Brook Lopez, wishing you a speedy recovery. For the rest of the team, it’s great to see everyone back on the court. Go Nets!”

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It wasn’t so much what a difference a night made, but what a difference an opponent made. On Monday, the Nets rallied from 21 down and beat Washington. Last night, they fell behind by 20 and wound up losing by 36 to Atlanta.

The difference? “That was the Wizards. . . .This was the Hawks,” Deron Williams said.

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It might be just two games into the new season, but the Nets’ 36-point loss last night topped any they had all of last season. Their biggest loss last season came on Jan. 28, when they lost by 32 in Indiana.

The Nets also topped their lowest point total in a half from last season with their 30-point showing in the first half. Their low half from last season was 31 points, and also came against the Hawks.

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Nets rookie Dennis Horner, who claimed his reaction to general manager Billy King when told he made the team was, “Are you serious?” made his NBA debut and had four points and two rebounds in 7:51.

“It feels good,” Horner said. “I want to show them I can play. I want to try to get in the rotation somehow. . . .Whether it’s a minute here, a minute there, I want to get on the court and play, and hopefully the way I played tonight showed a little bit of that.”

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He might not have looked like an MVP candidate last night, but coach Avery Johnson said he thinks Williams would be a worthy recipient of the award.

“Deron’s capable of anything,” Johnson said before last night’s game. “I’ve told him privately . . . I think, one of these years, he’ll have a shot at being MVP.”