Cavaliers vs Nets: Outlaw's Big Game Not Enough As New Jersey Falls to Cleveland
Travis Outlaw had, easily, his best game in a New Jersey Nets uniform, but his team was unable to pull out a win as the Cleveland Cavaliers won, 93-91.
Outlaw has been plagued by inconsistency in this young season, but he delivered 27 points and seven rebounds on 11-of-22 shooting, including 4-of-7 on threes.
With about a minute-and-a-half left in the game, a desperation three-point heave from Cleveland's Anthony Parker with the shot clock expiring turned out to be the difference in the game.
New Jersey led 65-63 after three quarters of play, but the Cavs scored 30 points in the fourth quarter by bombing away from downtown.
Cleveland hit 5-of-6 threes in the fourth quarter and 9-of-17 overall.
The Nets put an emphasis on playing tougher in practice this week, although it may have come at a cost with Terrence Williams suffering an abdominal strain during one of their sessions.
He did not dress for the game, and one has to believe the team would have had a much better shot at winning this tight game had he been active.
Quinton Ross took over Williams' minutes and produced just two points.
New Jersey's bench as a whole did not have a great night, scoring just 15 points, although Jordan Farmar was able to notch five assists, and Derrick Favors showed more of his potential with seven rebounds.
Kris Humphries also continues to impress with his hustle and hard play, although he saw under nine minutes of court time.
Cleveland's bench, on the other hand, was superb. Antawn Jamison, Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions combined for 44 points.
Other notables for the Cavaliers include J.J. Hickson, who recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Mo Williams, who struggled with his shot but found his teammates for seven assists.
On the game, Cleveland had a whopping 27 assists compared to just nine turnovers.
For the Nets, Devin Harris had another solid game with 18 points and six assists on a 6-of-12 night. Troy Murphy, who is still in the process of finding his stroke, contributed 11 rebounds.
Brook Lopez and Anthony Morrow both reached double figures, but were not very efficient in doing so as they combined to go 10-of-26.
Morrow lacked the assertiveness he showed against Miami over the weekend, but Lopez needs to be commended for increased intensity as he had three blocks and eight rebounds.
On the bright side for New Jersey, they did display some of the aggressiveness that Avery Johnson is attempting to instill in his players.
After totaling just five free throw attempts in the first half, New Jersey finished with 21 attempts and hit 19 of them.
If they could have found a way to get to the line just a bit more in the opening 24 minutes, the game could have gone in a different direction.
The Nets also out-rebounded Cleveland, 45-44, and managed to pull down 13 off the offensive glass.
They did, however, allow the Cavs to grab 12 offensive boards of their own, so there is still plenty to work on.
The team also committed 12 turnovers. Not a great number, although it is an improvement.
As mentioned earlier, New Jersey was without Terrence Williams. It's hard to imagine Cleveland winning this game had he been there to provide his customary spark off the bench.
Of course, Johnson will not allow any type of excuses for this loss, which should be the case for the head coach. It's something fans can find some solace in.
The Nets will get another shot at the Cavaliers tomorrow night as they play the second part of a home-and-home in Cleveland. A win there would be their first road victory of the season and would snap a five-game losing streak.
