NEW YORK _ In their previous six games, the Nets had shot a feverish 42.2 percent from 3-point range, and it correlated with a marked improvement in their play. They misplaced their shooting touch during a poor first half in which they made only 2 of 16 3-pointers, but the Nets flipped the switch in a stellar third-quarter comeback that boosted them to a 121-110 win over the Knicks on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden.
Two days earlier, the Nets (13-54) blew themselves out of a tight game against Oklahoma City with a poor third quarter, but Thursday night, Jeremy Lin scored nine of his 15 points in the third quarter, and they were 6-for-9 from long distance as they outscored the Knicks, 38-26, to take a 92-87 lead going to the final period.
Brook Lopez topped the Nets with 24 points, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 20 points plus nine rebounds, and rookie Caris LeVert had 13 points and seven rebounds. Lin added eight assists.
Before the game, coach Kenny Atkinson announced that reserve power forward Trevor Booker would be rested because of a decision by the performance team, which left the Nets three players short because Sean Kilpatrick (hamstring) and Joe Harris (sprained shoulder) also were out. The good news was that Harris now is free of concussion symptoms after taking a hard fall two weeks ago in Utah.
Atkinson said the decision was made for Booker's long-term health, but he also admitted, "Quite honestly, I want to see some other guys, too. ... We're at the stage where we need to see these guys and get a look."
The name of the game all season for the Nets has been "development," and that's especially true now for the team with the worst record in the NBA by far. As a result, power forward Quincy Acy (nine points, five rebounds) and wing man K.J. McDaniels (nine points, five rebounds) saw considerably more playing time.
The Nets beat the Knicks last Sunday, but Atkinson said, "Our guys are excited to play here and just see if we can continue our improvement. That's all we're focusing on. I do think we're showing some progress. I'd just like to see that continue the rest of the season."
The return from the injured list of Lin has been a major reason for their improvement and especially has contributed to improved 3-point shooting since the All-Star break. In their win over the Knicks, the Nets tied their franchise record with 19 made 3-pointers in 38 attempts.
Speaking of Lin's impact, Atkinson said, "When he gets in the paint, that causes problems. I think people underrate Jeremy's vision. It's huge having him back for that reason. He drives the heck out of the ball. We want to keep with that aggressive mentality, and when that defense sucks in, we're going to kick it out to, hopefully, open shooters."
In the first half, Lin was aggressive but was off the mark, going 0-for-5 from field goal range, and the Nets trailed, 61-54. But Lin and the rest of the Nets found their groove in the third quarter and made it back-to-back wins over the Knicks. That's progress.
