Long Island Nets fall to Delaware Blue Coats, 116-108 as Dariq Whitehead, AJ Lawson combine for 48

Dariq Whitehead and Jacky Cui returned to Long Island Friday but it was for naught in the standings as the Nets lost their sixth straight.

The losses have continued to pile up for Long Island, now having lost six straight, the G League’s longest losing streak. There were some positives, as there always are, but the Delaware Blue Coats held on to beat them, 116-108, at Nassau Coliseum.

Dariq Whitehead, fresh off his 18-point performance for the Brooklyn Nets on Monday finished with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal, but after a fast start — 10 points in the first eight minutes, cooled down a bit as the game wore on, finishing 9-of-20 overall. Out of his 11 attempts from deep, he only managed to drain three of them. What started as a great game for Whitehead fizzled out by game’s end.

Jacky Cui, making his home debut for Long island had a tough outing. In 17 minutes, the 6’7” two-way went 1-of-7 overall and 1-of-4 from deep. He finished the game with six points and three rebounds, two offensive.

Once again, the big story for Long Island was the play of 6’6” shooting guard A.J. Lawson. The 24-year-old Canadian had his second straight game of good shooting from deep which has been an area of development .

After going 5-of-9 beyond the arc on his way to a 35-point outing Wednesday, Lawson hit 5-of-11 on 3-pointers Friday. He posted 27 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 39 minutes and is now averaging 23.7 on the season. Over the last three, Lawson who spent last year with the Mavericks is putting up 29.3 and shooting 44.4% from deep.

Killian Hayes finished with a double-double, 10 points and 11 assists to go along with seven rebounds, but was 0-of-6 from deep. Kendall Brown, 6’7’ 21-year-old wing who played for the Pacers last season had 19 and Amari Bailey, a 6’3” combo guard, had 15.

Philadelphia two-way guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. posted 27 points, three rebounds, five assists and one steal in 31 minutes

The game looked very promising in the first quarter, as Long Island had the hot hand. Whitehead, in particular, looked good, picking up 10 points quickly in the first quarter alone. In the second quarter, we saw more of the same as Long Island took a nine-point lead into halftime. For the first time in a while, Long Island was in the driver’s seat at half.

Unfortunately, things would begin to fizzle out for Long Island as the third quarter came along. Long Island lost its groove in the third quarter, as Delaware outscored the Nets 41-25 in the period, closing the quarter ahead by seven, 94-87. It wasn’t an insurmountable lead by any means and while the Nets worked hard to shrink the gap in the fourth, Delaware kept its foot on the gas and walked away with the eight-point win, 116-108.

At halftime, Whitehead and Amari Bailey led the team with 15 points each. The second half wasn’t Whitehead’s friend as he only put up six points. Whitehead finished the game with a total of 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. It was a very hot and cold night for Whitehead because his two halves could not have been more different.

Five Brooklyn Nets — Nic Claxton, Keon Johnson, Jalen Wilson, Day’Ron Sharpe, and Noah Clowney all came out to support Long Island tonight on the G League’s team affiliation night.

In exclusive interviews post-game, Whitehead and Cui spoke about both their performances and goals.

Dariq Wants To Play

Whitehead talked about what returning to Long Island meant to him, even if it won’t be for a long stay.

“We had a lot of guys out,” says Whitehead. “Coach Jordie preaches that he doesn’t care who’s out. Whoever is in, the guys he’s rocking with are expected to win that game. I have to go in there and contribute what I can, but it wasn’t enough to come away with the dub. Looking back, I just came in ready for the opportunity and took advantage of it.”

Whitehead said the biggest thing he learned from Long Island is “confidence.” coming back from a trio of leg surgeries since August 2022, and it’s in large part due to Long Island. So he made his return to Long Island on Friday night and said he was very happy to do so.

“It was amazing,” says Whitehead. “My biggest thing right now is I just want to play. I was out for two years with injuries, so I’m just trying to get the most playing time that I can. If that’s down here with the Long Island Nets, I’m happy to do it. I’m taking advantage of every opportunity and I’m attacking it the same way I would as if I were with the Brooklyn Nets.”

Jacky Cui Reacts to NBA China news

After the game, Cui spoke about the big news that broke on Thursday night: the Brooklyn Nets will play preseason games in October of next year against the Phoenix Suns in Macao, China, about 400 miles from his home city of Nanning. Cui is currently the only NBA player from China. His two-way deal with Brooklyn extends through next season…

“I have the opportunity to get back to my home,” says Cui. “It’s a big challenge and I look forward to playing Phoenix in China,” Cui says that his family, friends, and coaches will all be there to see him playing, and he’s excited to play in front of them as well. “They’re everywhere,” said Cui.

“I just will play hard, improve, and if the opportunity comes to get some time on the court in China, I need to work hard here to prepare,” he noted.

He also mentioned how the games could help US-China relations. “We will start to communicate as two countries.”

Next Up

Long Island, now 2-9 the second worst record in the G League, stays home for their next game on Sunday night against the College Park Skyhawks. They will look to finally get back on track against a team that they have already played in late November. The last time these two teams played, College Park walked away with the win, 122-105. The game tips off at 3:00 p.m. ET, and can be seen on Roku TV, the YES App.

• Boxscore: Delaware Blue Coats, 116, Long Island Nets 108 – G League