Another day, another loss. The Brooklyn Nets dropped their tenth game in a row yesterday 137-112 against the Houston Rockets. Brooklyn kept this game pretty close int he first half, and then the second half woes hit.
These two teams shot an NBA-record 88 combined three-pointers in this game. Funny enough, both sides shot 44 attempts. The difference though was the makes. Brooklyn made 15 and Houston nailed 21 of them. It was a clinic for the Rockets for a while when it just seemed neither James Harden or Eric Gordon could miss from range.
Leading all scorers on the night was Eric Gordon who scored 24 points off of the bench for Houston. Gordon was a killer as he shot 9-14 and 4-8 from downtown. James Harden did his usual thing notching his 12th triple-double of the season with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists with one steal and one block.
Considering this was a game where Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, and Justin Hamilton were all forced to start, Brooklyn did come out ready to compete, well offensively at least, with the Rockets. Unfortunately, Brooklyn cannot and will not get far with Brook Lopez and Jeremy Lin out of the lineup.
Grading the Players
Getting the coveted A’s tonight are Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Randy Foye. RHJ had a good night scoring 14 points on 5-8 shooting and 4-4 from the free-throw line. Hollis-Jefferson also brought down seven rebounds as well as stealing three balls for the Nets. A good amount of Hollis-Jefferson’s finishes came within the paint and on fouls as well. RHJ showed heart and ability this time out. Maybe he is trying to tell Brooklyn not to trade him.
Randy Foye got some decent minutes with Isaiah Whitehead playing limited minutes due to his injury. In 17 minutes, Foye scored a season-high 13 points on 4-6 shooting including 3-4 from three-point range. Foye even tossed in two assists. Foye was a guy that Brooklyn looked to for veteran leadership this off-season. He brought it to Houston when he was really one of the only guards left on the roster that can run the point.
Quincy Acy and Spencer Dinwiddie get C+’s on the night. Acy, since signing his 10-day contract, finally got some reputable minutes on the floor. In 20 minutes, Acy scored seven points to go along with four rebounds and a blocked shot. The stats are not fantastic, but his energy sure was. Getting into the game early, Acy was running the floor and contesting shots and blocking shots. Acy was even in the paint trying to get rebounds which is something even Brook Lopez can’t say he does. Acy brought the fire tonight.
Spencer Dinwiddie was held scoreless yet again. Though he did not score, he looked more and more like a legitimate point guard as he dished out eight assists. Dinwiddie’s shot may not be there quite yet, but his heart is there, his IQ is there, and his vision and command are there.
The Nets look to end their streak against the Toronto Raptors (yes, again) when they come to New York on Tuesday night. The Rockets head down to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat also on Tuesday night.