Fangberichte » said in regards to utilizing Fields in this series

Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork. Paul Molitor Jersey .com) - Joe Johnson scored 27 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 102-96 triumph over the Denver Nuggets at Barclays Center. Mason Plumlee added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Jarrett Jack supplied 17 points and eight assists for the Nets, who have won two in a row following a three-game skid. I thought it was a great grind-it-out game. We showed a lot of composure and a lot of mental toughness, Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. Brook Lopez (lower back strain) returned from an eight-game absence and had six points in over eight minutes of court time for the Nets. Ty Lawson scored 29 to go with nine assists for the Nuggets, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Theyve also dropped six straight on the road. Kenneth Faried had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Denver, which grabbed an 87-86 edge with 6:20 left following a pair of JJ Hickson free throws. Johnson then responded with a 3-pointer. Hicksons driving layup tied the game at 89, but the Nets scored the ensuing eight points. Johnson capped the flurry by fading away at the foul line to drain a jumper over a leaping Wilson Chandler with 2:41 remaining. Faried then converted an alley-oop jam off a feed from Lawson, but Denver didnt get any closer the rest of the game. We just did some unfundamentally sound things, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. The Nuggets scored the first eight points, but a layup from Sergey Karasev at the first quarters end provided Brooklyn with a 30-27 edge. Bojan Bogdanovics 3-pointer widened the gap to 47-37 five with minutes left in the half, and the hosts went into the break with a 58-54 edge. Faried finished the period with a highlight-reel, one-handed tip slam off a miss from Chandler. Denver led by as many as four in the third, but Lopezs turnaround shot with 9.6 seconds remaining had Brooklyn within 77-76 going to the fourth. Game Notes The Nets posted consecutive wins over the Nuggets for the first time since Dec. 16, 2005 and Jan. 27, 2007 ... Karasev had 12 points ... Brooklyn forward Kevin Garnett, who had two points on 1-of-5 shooting, played in his 1,400th career game ... Arron Afflalo had 11 points and nine rebounds for Denver ... Nets guard Deron Williams (right calf strain) missed his second straight game. Tony Oliva Jersey .K. Subban has picked the right time of the year to go on an offensive tear. Minnesota Twins Jerseys .com) - Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies withstood 18 Dallas 3-pointers, as Memphis took control in the third quarter and fended off a Mavericks rally en route to a 114-105 win in a Southwest Division showdown. http://www.twinssale.com/twins-miguel-sano-jersey/ .com) - Novak Djokovic captured a mens Open Era-record fifth Australian Open title on Sunday by defeating rival Andy Murray in the final in Melbourne.BROOKLYN - As the Raptors opening round series shifts back into quasi must-win territory on Sunday, their playoff lives could rest on the shoulders of a 23-year-old sophomore, who is already having a tough time adjusting to the pressure of his first postseason. Through three games with the Nets, Toronto has yet to play its best basketball, the easiest explanation for their 2-1 series deficit. Its under-performing starting small forward, Terrence Ross, has been a primary factor. Stepping in for the traded Rudy Gay early in the season, Ross played an under-appreciated role in the Raptors turnaround and push to the playoffs. From Dec. 8 onwards, the second-year guard-turned-forward averaged 12.2 points, nearly doubling his pre-trade scoring mark while logging an addition 10 minutes a night. He shot the three-ball at an impressive 40 per cent clip and became Torontos most relied upon perimeter defender. Since making his playoff debut a week ago, Ross has looked like a fish out of water. Despite starting all three games and playing an average of 21 minutes, hes hit just three of his 16 jumpers while looking overwhelmed on defence against Brooklyns bigger, more physical wing players. Overall, the Raptors have gotten just 4.7 points per game from the small forward position, good for last among the NBAs 16 playoff teams by a wide margin. With Fridays 102-98 loss in the back of his mind, Dwane Casey wouldnt rule out the possibility of a lineup change for Sundays crucial Game 4. "Were still going to look at that," Casey said following a Saturday afternoon practice on the campus of a nearby university in New York City. "The decision hasnt been made but we will look at it. Right now we dont want to do anything drastic." "Its not panic time, but we do have to look at that position and get more productivity out of that spot." Its been the most problematic conundrum Casey has had to wrestle with in this series. The Raptors do not have an easy answer for Joe Johnsons unique combination of size, strength and finesse. The Nets crafty veteran - listed at 6-foot-7, 240 lbs - has had Torontos number in nearly every facet of the game. He can beat you from midrange, post-up smaller players and hes deadly from beyond the arc. "We have been double teaming him and blitzing him and hes been getting a lot of his [points] in those one-on-one situations," Casey pointed out. Defensively, Landry Fields has had the most individual success against Johnson. Casey turned to the sparingly used forward in Game 2, a well-received lineup adjustment that helped neutralize Johnson in the fourth quarter and spark Torontos comeback victory. Johnson would go on to lead the Nets with 29 points in Fridays Game 3 but was held scoreless, missing both of his shots, in seven first-half minutes with Fields guarding him. However, Fields was limited to just eight minutes in the loss. This time the Nets had prepared for him. Anticipating his reluctance to shoot, Brooklyn used Fields defender to apply even more pressure to DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry. With Jonas Valanciunas in foul trouble, Fields shared the floor with Tyler Hansbrough - another player the defence can afford to overlook - and the Raptors offencce took an immediate hit. Custom Minnesota Twins Jerseys. "Its give and take," Casey said in regards to utilizing Fields in this series. "You sacrifice some offence for defence. I thought he did a heck of a job [defensively] but you do suffer in your spacing." John Salmons returned to the rotation, scoring four points in 12 minutes on Friday after sitting out in Game 2. The 35-year-old has battled lingering back pain while struggling with his jumper. He too has been exposed by Johnson. "Weve got to find ways to get them the ball," Casey said of Fields and Salmons. "Whether its cutting, screening, running the floor, so that we get something from that spot [and] they cant just load up and go 5-on-4 at the defensive end. We want to make sure we do get something offensively out of that position." Their best chance is to get Ross going. Fields moves well without the ball and gives you consistent effort on defence, Salmons brings a certain veteran savvy that has been useful in the past but Ross - when right - is the two-way contributor Toronto desperately needs to gain the upper hand in this series. For the young Ross, boosting his confidence could be the key to unleashing the natural ability he has displayed throughout his second season. It could be something as simple as seeing an early shot fall, getting a big first-quarter stop or throwing down one of his trademark slam dunks. "Hes still the same Terrence," DeRozan said Saturday. "We all understand everybodys not going to have their best night [all the time]. We all understand that. Our job is to keep everybodys confidence high." Through three playoff games, Ross and fellow sophomore Jonas Valanciunas - who leads the Raptors in turnovers - have the worst +/- on the team. Toronto has allowed 24 more points than its scored with Ross on the floor, outscored by 21 with Valanciunas on the floor. The Raptors are the only playoff team to feature two second-year players in their starting lineup. Their inexperience and overall importance to the future of this franchise is largely responsible for the leash theyve been given. "If they werent young guys, if that wasnt our future, our direction, they probably wouldnt be in there with some of the mistakes theyre making," Casey admitted. "But, theyre our guys. Theyve got to learn, its their first playoffs. I expect most of their mistakes. Were going to ride with them in those situations." "Its tougher, but a big part of the reason were here is because of their play. Im not blind to the fact they are our future and the only way were going to learn is to go through it. The amount of time might be a little shorter, but theyve got to get out there." Regardless of his role, Ross will continue to play. Yes, win or lose this is a valuable learning experience for the 23-year-old but more than anything else, Casey knows how quickly the complexion of this series could change if Ross shots begin to fall. For Ross, the player, that would mean more confidence and likely a more engaged defensive effort, even if he cant guard Johnson one-on-one. For the team it could aid their spacing, take the pressure off Lowry and DeRozan and breathe life into their suffocating offence. 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