Is Long Island’s post-season dream over? It looked that way after the Nets lost to the Wisconsin Herd and are now two games out with five to go.
The Long Island Nets looked to keep their playoff hopes alive as well as their three-game winning streak on Thursday night in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where they played the Wisconsin Herd. But it was not to be.
While the Long Island Nets played well in the first half, they completely fell apart in the second. In the end, Long Island fell to Wisconsin, 113-101.
As far as their playoff hopes are concerned, they are indeed on life support. Long Island wasn’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, but the odds are very much depleted. The Nets are on the outside looking in as now they essentially need the Indiana Mad Ants, the Motor City Cruise, and College Park Skyhawks to lose out. Not likely.
In short, Long Island would have to win out to have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. Coming up, Long Island has the Cruise, Toronto Raptors 905, and two games with the Cleveland Charge. The hardest game for Long Island should come against Motor City, who is 16-13, compared to the Raptors 905 and Charge who are both 13-17.
Drew Timme again led the team in points and rebounds with 30 and 12 respectively. Perhaps even more impressive, Timme picked up his 15th straight double-double. This is a wild stat.
Timme connected on 12 of his 15 shots, for 80% from the field. He also connected on both of his attempts from beyond the arc. The Gonzaga product was the best bright spot of the night for Long Island. Timme capped off his great game with two assists and two steals.
Tosan Evbuomwan also had a strong performance in today’s game. He finished with a double-double, second on the team in points and rebounds with 18 and 11. The Nets two-way player also picked up three assists and one block.
From one Nets two-way player to another, Tyson Etienne finished with 16 points. 12 of these points came from deep, as the 6’2” shooting guard continued to shoot very well from beyond the arc, connecting on four of his nine attempts. Overall, Etienne connected on five of his 13 attempts from the field.
Trevon Scott picked up 12 points, while Reece Beekman played arguably his best game with the Long Island Nets, picking up 11 points. Beekman connected on five of his 11 shots, including going 1-of-3 from deep.
One name you won’t see much in this article is Killian Hayes. Unfortunately for Hayes, he had a game he’d like to forget. Coming off the bench, Hayes finished with seven points, connecting on only three of his 11 attempts. Hayes seemed very off his game tonight. However, he was able to pick up five rebounds, three assists, and one steal.
Dariq Whitehead had an even worse game, shooting only 1-of-7, including 1-of-6 from deep.
The first quarter saw Long Island and Wisconsin battle it out, with Drew Timme picking up 14 points. The first quarter ended with Wisconsin taking a 36-32 lead into the second. The second quarter was another close one between the two teams, with Wisconsin outscoring Long Island, 34-33, to take a five-point lead into the half.
The third quarter was when it all began to fall apart for Long Island. The Nets were outscored by their largest margin yet, 21-15. This allowed Wisconsin to take an 11-point lead into the final quarter. Sloppy play from Long Island late in the game, including back-to-back offensive possessions without a shot off, cost them the game, and maybe even the playoffs.
Next Up
With their playoff hopes on life support, the Long Island Nets (15-15) return to the court on Saturday night for a must-win showdown with the Motor City Cruise (16-13) in Detroit. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET and can be watched on the NBA G-League website.