After going 2-14 in the G League’s Tip-Off Tournament, the Nets’ G League affiliate have turned it around in the regular season.
The G League season is divided in two: a 16-game Tip-Off Tournament that serves as an extended pre-season, then after a Winter Showcase in Orlando, a real deal, the league’s regular season begins. Whatever a team did in the Tip-Off doesn’t matter in terms of the league’s playoffs and ultimate success. The regular season permits a team to reset at 0-0.
That’s a good thing for the Long Island Nets. They went 2-14 in those first 16, then after a major revamp around the time of the Showcase, they’re turned thing around and on Wednesday night, Long Island defeated Windy City, 110-92. The nearly 20-point win marked the first time Long Island has had a record above .500 since December 30th, currently sitting at 5-4.
It was their first game at Nassau Coliseum in nearly two weeks and Long Island, who had won their two previous games, dominated the Bulls’ affiliate even without their three two-ways and Dariq Whitehead, all of whom were playing for Brooklyn.
The win was, in large part, due to the play of Killian Hayes who finished with 20 points, eight assists and four steals. Hayes has been on a tear as of late. Just days ago, in Long Island’s most recent win against the Maine Celtics, Hayes finished with a 28-point showing, his personal best in an NBA G-League game.
Despite missing all three of his shots from deep, Hayes connected on six of his 14 shots, which came just days after he shot 10-for-18 overall and 5-of-9 beyond the arc, giving him a two-game total of 16-for-32 and 5-of-12.
This was an overall great game for Long Island’s starters, all of whom finished in double-digits in the points category. Two of the five starters, Drew Timme and Trevon Scott,.walked out of the game with a double-double, Both joined the affiliate in their recent revamp.
Timme, 6’10”, finished the game with 18 points, having a terrific day shooting the ball, connecting on seven of his nine attempts. He also had 10 rebounds, one assist, and three steals. It was the fourth double-double in eight games for the 24-year-old. His one downfall came in turning the ball over, which he led the team in with five.
As for the 6’8” Scott, he finished with 14 points, connecting on five of his nine attempts. The 28-year-old had a very quiet first half, not finding the score sheet at all until the third quarter came around. He also picked up 10 rebounds, tied with Timme to lead the team, one assist, one steal, and three blocks.
The Nets latest addition, Oshae Brissett came off the bench and finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and one steal. A member of last year’s Celtics NBA champs, the 6’7” 26-year-old had picked up eight points and nine rebounds in his debut with Long Island on Sunday afternoon. Brissett, who hadn’t played sine June, seems to be improving each time he sees the court with Long Island.
The Nets’ reliables, Kendall Brown and Tyson Etienne, also had respectable games, finishing with 15 points each. Brown who has been shooting the ball terrifically, had a bit of a setback on Wednesday night. Brown has been shooting an astonishing 70-75% per game of late, but finished Wednesday’s game shooting just 40%, connecting on six of his 15 shots.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams which ultimately saw Long Island taking a six-point lead into the second. Long Island extended their lead entering the half to 11 points, outscoring Windy City, 30-25 in the second quarter.
Windy City made the game close in the third, capitalizing on Long Island’s shooting woes, and outscoring Long Island, 27-25. The fourth quarter saw Long Island pull away, winning the quarter and the game, 31-22.
Chicago two-way forward Emanuel Miller tallied 24 points, three rebounds, one steal and one block in 38 minutes. Windy City center David Muoka, a former Net, recorded 16 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 25 minutes.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (5-4) return to the court on Friday night at the Place Bell in Laval, Quebec, part of a plan hatched by the international marketing staff of BSE Global to create a new Nets fan base in French-speaking Canada. This game marks the first of six home games this season for Long Island in suburban Montreal. They are set to face off against former teammate AJ Lawson and the Toronto Raptors 905 at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the NBA G-League and Long Island Nets’ respective websites.