Results tagged “nenadkrstic”

• Spurs 99, Knicks 93 (OT): Normally, the Knicks do this in reverse. They fall behind big early, rally to make things respectable and pat themselves on the back. This game was worse. They blew an 18-point third-quarter lead and then didn't seem to care about the result when the game went to overtime. This is the second time they've lost eight straight. Will they have another eight-game skid before the season ends?
• Nets 104, Bobcats 90: Jason Kidd's line: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists and 0 answered questions after the game. He wasn't in the mood to talk despite the Nets' throttling of the Bobcats. Nenad Krstic, who started over Sean Williams, had only two points in 15 minutes. He'll need to recover from injury quickly if the Nets want to win more games.
• Ducks 2, Devils 1: Scott Niedermayer had an assist in his return to New Jersey as the Ducks finished their three-game romp through the New York area. Niedermayer played 13 seasons with the Devils, but the fans didn't seem to appreciate that tenure.

It's official: Barclays Bank has bought naming rights to the Brooklyn Nets' future arena in the Atlantic Yards project. Naturally, there's a website: Barclays Center - Planned Home of the Nets. Cute how it says "Planned," right? And this map showing how all routes lead to the "Barclays Center" is pretty funny.

-Knicks 115, Bucks 107: Eddy Curry had 36 points -- his ninth straight over-20 performance -- and the Knicks gave the fans at Madison Square Garden plenty to cheer about. Curry dominated against Andrew Bogut and then Dan Gadzuric after Bogut faced early foul trouble. Nate Robinson chipped in 22, but, despite the win, the Knicks are only 3-8 at home this season. Curry's play, maligned here and everywhere it seems, has proven a pleasant surprise. Nine games is harder to discount as a fluke than three or four was.

After bowing out in five games to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals iast season, the Nets didn't feel the need to retool their starting lineup. Who wouldn't be happy with Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic on the floor for the tipoff? Instead, they knew their reserves could be better, and that's the weakness they concentrated on in the offseason. Head coach Lawrence Frank should have a better team sitting next to him this season.

Just as the Nets improved with the play of Vince Carter, so did the Pacers when Jermaine O'Neal woke up. With Indiana's big man not in foul trouble and a force inside, the Nets lost game three 107-95 Thursday and trail the four-of-seven series two games to one. O'Neal proved too tough to handle on offense (he scored 37 points) and on defense (he held Nenad Krstic to just nine points). Without foul trouble to worry about, he emerged as the dominant force in game three.

If someone told Nets coach Lawrence Frank he could have the Indiana Pacers' best player in foul trouble all afternoon and force the Pacers to rely on a reserve point guard, he probably would have signed on the dotted line. Yet Jermaine O'Neal scored when it counted and Anthony Johnson, a former Net, hit two free throws in the final second of a 90-88 win over New Jersey. The Pacers lead the four-of-seven series 1-0. Frank can take the good and the bad from this performance.

In case any doubt lingered about the Nets' lackluster effort during the season's last few games, New Jersey removed any doubt with a 90-83 loss to the Knicks at home. Of course, Lawrence Frank rested his stars to the point that the quartet of Vince Carter, Nenad Krstic, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson totaled just 18 minutes. All belonged to Jefferson. Jacque Vaughn led the team with 15 points, and the not-even-trying Nets almost came from behind to beat the Knicks.

As the playoffs near, the Nets have less and less to play for. Barring a drastic turnaround in the standings, they will end up as the three seed. Still, Gothamist likes their perforances in recent nights, including Tuesday's 112-100 win at Washington. Those stumbles of late February and early March now look more like a momentary disruption than a bad sign for the playoffs.

Although they are in no position to quibble, the Nets won't be putting Wednesday's 78-65 victory over visiting Portland in a time capsule. They shot 39 percent from the floor, saw Jason Kidd be held scoreless in regular season game for the first time as a Net and relied heavily on their defense to win the game. Still, they've won three straight and have shown some signs that their struggles may be in the rear view mirror.

Here’s the good news; there are only 28 games left in the Knicks’ season. New York was simply outclassed by the Nets last night, losing 94-90, but it wasn’t that close. Steve Francis, who had 16 points in his debut, hit a three at the buzzer capping of a rally by the Knicks that made the game appear a lot closer than it was.

So, on the cover of yesterday's NY Times sports section was this huge picture of New Jersey Nets small forward Richard Jefferson (RJ!) hugging point guard Zoran Planinic after a third quarter shot against the Utah Jazz, and we thought to ourselves, "This is some hug...not that there's anything wrong with that." But these are exciting times for Nets, as exciting as being on top of the Atlantic Division five games into the season can be and cross-the-Hudson and possible cross-the-East River rival New York Knicks sucking. Jefferson has been doing well this season, and we can only hope that he, Vince Carter, and Jason Kidd stay healthy. And that Nenad Krstic can continue to score. In the meantime, Gothamist will wonder how many children were frightened by this Jason Kidd Jox Box.

The Nets shot a dismal .359 from the field, a mark that the Heat even betted from 3-point range (.385). Miami was .480 from the field overall. Nenad Krstic, one of the lone bright spots for the Nets, had 27 points in the loss. Jason Kidd was a non-factor with only 10 points and 5 assists. Vince Carter scored 21 but was was 6-16, which actually lifted the Nets shooting average.

After a season filled with injuries, trades, and change, the Nets have somehow climbed right back into the Eastern playoff race this week. Two Philadelphia losses and two Net wins leave them a mere 1.5 games out of the NBA playoffs heading into April.