Nets coach Avery Johnson knows there is reason to worry tonight, going up against Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.
But Johnson doesn’t think his franchise player, Deron Williams, is a cause for concern, even though the point guard is shooting a career-worst 38.2 percent from the field and 26.8 percent on 3-pointers.
“He’s the last guy I’m worried about,” Johnson said after yesterday’s practice in Brooklyn. “He’s going to be just fine. He’s going to play better. He’s not playing bad. Where he’s at right now is not struggling, in my mind. I think he’s doing a good job of quarterbacking the team.”
Johnson said Williams didn’t practice much yesterday as he deals with soreness in his right elbow, wrist and both legs, though the All-Star downplayed any effect of the bumps and bruises he has amassed early in the season.
Johnson acknowledged Williams is dealing with some pain that many players acquire during a season, but even having Williams at less than 100 percent is still better than having most at full strength.
“I’ll take Deron shooting with one arm,” Johnson said. “That’s how much confidence I have. That’s not just a coaching statement. I really believe that.”
Williams’ defense may be even more critical tonight if the Nets are going to stop the Thunder’s five-game winning streak. He will go up against Westbrook, who is averaging 20.7 points per game. Williams played with Westbrook in the Olympics, as well as Durant, but the Nets guard’s familiarity isn’t enough to counter the 24-year-old’s explosive athleticism on its own.
“Russell’s just tough to guard, keeping him out of the paint is a tough task,” said Williams. “That’s a team thing, that’s our system, giving good help. They got two guys on their team, one person can’t stop them for the whole game. It has to be a team effort. We have to pay a lot of attention to both of those guys, especially in transition. Russell attacks the basket relentlessly.”
***One week after claiming victory in the first intra-city meeting of the season, Nets coach Avery Johnson beat Knicks coach Mike Woodson again by being named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for October and November after both teams posted 11-4 records.
Johnson, in his third year as coach of the Nets, led the team to a franchise record for wins in November and the best start in team history.
It is the fourth time Johnson has won the award (first with the Nets) and he is the third Nets coach to have earned the honor. Johnson also beat out former St. John’s assistant coach and current Charlotte head coach Mike Dunlap, who led the Bobcats to a 7-7 record through November, matching the team’s win total from all of last season.
* Brook Lopez is expected to miss his third consecutive game tonight with a sprained right foot, but a precautionary MRI exam taken yesterday came back negative. He is listed as day-to-day.
Johnson said the center is not ready to practice yet and will have to do so before he returns to game action.
“He’ll start moving around at some point this week,” Johnson said. “We’ll see how he moves around and continues to progress.”
Johnson also said he was unsure whether Lopez would be able to play in the following game, against the Warriors on Friday at Barclays Center.
Lopez, who injured his foot last Wednesday in Boston, already had undergone several tests that determined the current injury is unrelated to fractures in the same foot that limited him to playing five games last season.
The 24-year-old leads the team with 18.5 points and 2.5 blocks.