New Jersey Nets: Regular Season Game 2 Break Down

Atlanta Hawks 106, New Jersey Nets 70

The New Jersey Nets loss to the Atlanta Hawks was their second game in as many nights.

And it sure looked like it.

For the second night in a row, the Nets started off poorly and struggled to score. The only difference was that they were not playing the Washington Wizards, they were playing a good Hawks team.

While some of the sluggish play is most likely due to the season having just begun, the Nets have to figure out how to improve their start if they want to compete in this league.

The Nets currently sit at 1-1. I will break down that first loss.

Deron Williams

The Nets star point guard failed to look like a top player last night.

After a stellar performance in the first game of the season, Deron Williams struggled mightily in last night's loss.

He was a rough 3-11 from the field and had six turnovers. On a high note, Williams was hitting his three-point shots. He made two out of the three, which is encouraging.

Deron Williams is the leader and a star for the Nets.They will go as far as he will take them. It is not a coincidence that since Williams struggled, so did the Nets.

Williams' stat line was—10 PTS, 1 AST, 3 REB.

Backcourt Scoring

The Nets scorers struggled significantly last night.

Anthony Morrow had only three points, and was 1 of 5 from the field. Williams struggled, as illustrated on the previous slide, and Damion James had zero points. Jordan Farmar, who got more playing time in this game, was only 1 of 4 from the field.

Two bright spots in the game were Sundiata Gaines and MarShon Brooks.

Gaines continued to prove that he is a solid back-up point guard and a key player for the Nets. Off the bench, he contributed with eight points, four assists, and four rebounds.

Rookie MarShon Brooks showed that he can score in this league. He had 17 points and was seven for eight at the free-throw line.

The Big Men

Brook Lopez was missed last night.

The interim starting center, Johan Petro, failed to score and only grabbed three rebounds. After proving he had a good mid-range jumper in the first game of the season, Petro came up flat in game two.

Kris Humphries had a nice game. His playing time was cut from 39 minutes to 25 minutes because Avery Johnson wanted to keep his players fresh, but Humphries gave the Nets 11 points and six rebounds, nonetheless.

The newest Net, Mehmet Okur, continued to struggle with finding a presence on the court. This time, it hurt the Nets. He was just one of six from the field and one for four from behind the arc.

The Nets are going to need more scoring and rebounding from their big men.

Next Three Games

 The Nets next take on the Magic in Orlando. This game will be interesting because of the Dwight Howard saga. If the Nets are still trying to get Howard to New Jersey, a win over the Magic might entice him some.

Then, the Nets face the Hawks again. This time, the game will be on the road, and the Nets will need to play much better this time to win.

After the disappointing loss to the Hawks, the Nets chances of winning the next two games look slim.

The game with Orlando is going to depend on the play of Dwight Howard, who has seemed distracted and uninspired.

The Nets will play the Cavaliers after their second game against the Hawks. This game should be a sure win for the Nets.

If they want a chance at a playoff run, the Nets must win the games they are supposed to in this shortened season.