NEW YORK (AP)—Even though he only played six preseason games, things are slowing down for New Jersey Nets rookie Terrence Williams(notes).
He had 23 points and eight assists and Yi Jianlian(notes) added 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Nets to a 110-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night in the last preseason game for both teams.
“Things are slower on the court. I feel because when you first come out on the court, you are trying to do everything fast,” he said. “I’m learning from (assistant coach) Doug Overton, working with him every day and CDR (Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes)), I learn a lot from them.”
Williams, a first-round draft pick from Louisville, had an assist on Jarvis Hayes’(notes) 3-pointer and then stole the ball from Louis Williams(notes), racing down court for a one-handed dunk. He then had a ball tipped to him on a jump ball and fed Courtney Lee(notes) with a behind-the-head pass for a dunk and would later set up Brook Lopez(notes) for a dunk, also from the top of the key, all in the third quarter.
“I think Terrence obviously did a great job playing the passing lanes,” New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. “He had real good rhythm out there, great job finding guys. You can see him getting better and that’s what your are looking for.”
Douglas-Roberts added 15 points for the Nets (1-6), who open the season Wednesday night at Minnesota.
“Ready or not, here it comes but were looking forward to it,” Frank said of the regular season. “It’s an exciting part.”
The Nets at times featured a smaller lineup with Williams joining starters Douglas-Roberts, Lee and Rafer Alston(notes) on the court.
“They can keep running and can keep up with me,” Lopez joked. “I feel fine with it. I always try to run the floor and beat my man down the court. We got three or four guys pushing the ball up the floor and it’s pretty tough to stop.”
Rodney Carney(notes) had 13 points and Jason Smith(notes) added 12 for the 76ers (5-3), who will start their season on Wednesday at the defending Eastern Conference champion Orlando.
The Nets led by as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter of the game played at St. John’s Carnesecca Arena. On Thursday, the Star-Ledger reported the team was considering playing regular-season games at the Prudential Center while an arena is being built in Brooklyn as long as they don’t have to pay an $8 million penalty to get out of their lease at the Izod Center at the Meadowlands.
“It’s a great environment and we really enjoyed playing here,” Frank said after the game while dismissing the notion of any distractions. “Oh no, that’s not a distraction at all. We just focus on what we can control and we have a great practice facility. We have a great arena. We are happy for what we have.”
Despite the struggles throughout the game, first-year 76ers coach Eddie Jordan is confident as his team heads into the season.
Philadelphia missed its first seven shots of the game and the Nets ended the first quarter with a 26-18 lead.
“There was tons of progress (this preseason) for what we put in as a coaching staff on both ends of the floor,” Jordan said. “Our guys had a terrific attitude and acceptance of the way we want to play. I wasn’t concerned about the score because I like the was we played. I liked the way our guys controlled the game without me having to control a lot for them. At this early stage in the game, it’s a tremendous step in the right direction.”
NOTES: New York Knicks G Nate Robinson(notes) was among the 3,284 fans in attendance. He stood and clapped after several dunks by Terrence Williams, a close friend of his. Elton Brand(notes) of the 76ers had 11 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes and sat out the fourth quarter.
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