The Nets again didn’t make it easy on themselves, but managed to overcome several injuries and illnesses – along with their own sluggish first half – to go on to eventually blow out the hapless Suns, 99-79, and pick up a fifth straight win for the third time this season.
Here are some things I took away from the game:
— The biggest thing that should temper the enthusiasm being generated by the 7-1 start the Nets have enjoyed under the leadership of interim coach P.J. Carlesimo is the fact that six of those games have come against teams with losing records.
But even with that in mind, two things have looked different: they are blowing teams out, and they are playing much better in the second halves of games.
During the team’s current five-game winning streak, the Nets average net rating (difference between average points scored and allowed per 100 possessions) is over 17, which is easily tops in the NBA during that time period. It also is reflected in the individual victories the Nets have had, as they have racked up victories of 20 (three times), 17 and 16 over the last two weeks.
Over the course of the entire season, the Nets have only had one victory – their 39-point victory on Nov. 9 in Orlando – by a bigger final margin than that.
The reason for those large victory margins is also related to the other change I mentioned earlier – that the Nets are playing much better in the second halves of games. For the season, they’ve easily been among the worst teams in the league in the second half. When Carlesimo took over, the Nets were tied for 28th in the NBA in net rating in the second halves of games. But, over the past eight games, the Nets rank sixth in the NBA in second half net rating.
And, in each of the last three games – and particularly in Philadelphia Tuesday and against the Suns Friday – the Nets have used big second halves to blow games open and put away their opponents. Earlier this season, the Nets would go out to early leads before eventually giving them back and making things interesting down the stretch. It’s been a welcome change, and one that – if the Nets can continue it – will serve them well moving forward.
— The Nets deserve credit for persevering through a lot of adversity yesterday. They went into the game down three players, with Mirza Teletovic out with an undisclosed illness and both Kris Humphries (ankle) and Jerry Stackhouse (hamstring) sidelined with injuries. Then they lost Gerald Wallace halfway through the first quarter, saw Deron Williams pick up a bruised quad early in the third and watched Joe Johnson battle through his own illness to score a team-high 19 points.
You can say the Nets should have beaten the Suns, who are a terrible team – and that’s certainly true. But Carlesimo admitted after the game he had considered benching Johnson in the second half if the Nets, who had looked lethargic and half-asleep in the first half, didn’t turn things around quickly in the third quarter.
But that’s exactly what they did, and what followed was yet another convincing victory.
— Finally, a note on MarShon Brooks, who I will have more about on the blog soon. During the Nets’ five-game winning streak, Brooks has a net rating of 23.7 (offensive rating of 118.7, and defensive rating of 95.0). It’s been a nice stretch of play for a guy who has patiently waited for an opportunity, and is taking advantage of it.
tbontemps@nypost.com