TWO EASY: Deron Williams, who scored 24 points, throws down his first dunk of the season in the second quarter of the Nets’ 113-95 win over the Cavaliers last night in Cleveland. (AP)
CLEVELAND — As Deron Williams has flourished in the six weeks since the All-Star break in the wake of getting platelet rich plasma treatment and a third round of cortisone shots in both of his ailing ankles, the one thing that has been missing from his game has been throwing down his first dunk of the season.
But Williams finally checked that off his list in the Nets’ 113-95 runaway win over the Cavaliers Wednesday night in front of 14,863 inside Quicken Loans Arena.
With 2:57 to go in the second, Williams brought the ball upcourt and blew past Cavs guard Wayne Ellington with ease. From there, the Cavs defense parted like the Red Sea, allowing Williams to glide to the basket and slam the ball home.
“I didn’t really plan it,” Williams said with a smile afterward. “It’s just something that happened.”
Williams may not have planned it, and did his best to downplay it, but it was a significant milestone in what has been a remarkable resurgence for the star point guard since the All-Star break, considering that Williams said a few weeks ago his ankles were causing him so much pain that he couldn’t dunk.
Including last night’s performance, in which he finished with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the field to go along with eight assists, Williams is now averaging 22.2 points and 7.9 assists, shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 43.4 percent from 3-point range.
Williams’ dunk last night was a perfect indicator of how the night went for the Nets (43-31), who easily cruised to what was a franchise-record 21st road win of the season while handing the hapless Cavaliers (22-52) their 10th straight loss and their 12th loss in their last 13.
Not only did the Nets set their franchise record for road wins and clinch their first-ever winning road record for a season in franchise history with last night’s win, but they finished the eight-game, 17-day Circus Trip with a 5-3 record.
“For this franchise, now 36 years old, it’s the most wins we’ve ever had on the road,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “It’s the first time we’ve ever had a winning record on the road. That’s really a significant accomplishment.
“I’m really proud of that, and for [the players]. That’s a hell of a job.”
The Nets set all of those marks in style, taking control of the game right from the opening tip and leading for virtually all 48 minutes. They opened the game making 12 of their 19 shots in the first quarter, including a perfect 5-for-5 for 11 points from MarShon Brooks, to end the first with a 28-20 lead.
From there, the Nets immediately put the game away in the second, shooting 15-for-18 in the quarter — including 5-for-6 from 3-point range — to outscore Cleveland 38-16 in the second and enter halftime with a commanding 66-36 lead.
That allowed the Nets to put themselves on cruise control in the second half and keep everyone’s minutes down ahead of tonight’s game with the Bulls in Brooklyn, where the Nets finally will return for the first time since before the NCAA Tournament began.
“It was good,” Williams said of the rest. “I was glad I didn’t have to go out there in the fourth like I did against Portland [last week]. That was big for us. I got a chance to rest, and play under 30 minutes, and we’re going to need it because Chicago is sitting there waiting for us.”
Along with Williams, who finished the half 6-for-9 from the field for 18 points to go along with six assists, the Nets were led by a spectacular effort from Brooks, who got his first start of the season with both Joe Johnson (sore left heel, right quad contusion) and Gerald Wallace (sore left foot) sitting out last night’s game.
Johnson, who has sat out five straight games, could return to the lineup tonight.
Brooks went 9-for-9 in the first half, made his first 10 shots of the game and finished with a career-high 12-for-16 for a career-high 27 points to go along with seven assists.
“When you start off hot, you are going to draw more attention and you attack the rim,” Brooks said. “I was attacking the rim and trying to make the easy play.”