Pau Gasol’s key block on LeBron James with 3.4 seconds left in the game and Jimmy Butler’s steal on the ensuing inbounds sealed the game for Chicago.
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The Bulls were far from fluent in last night’s impressive win over the Cavs but they showed me enough to think they can improve to 2-0 when it’s all said and done against this new-look Nets outfit.
Tony Snell also played well and justified his starting position as he had 11 points and shot the three-ball exceptionally well.
The 6-6, 215-pound Jones, who signed with Brooklyn on September 10, averaged 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in four preseason games.
“You guys have to make the predictions, and we still have to play the game”, King said. “You have a chance of winning every game because we are so good and deep”. The Nets may again be a fringe playoff team, except this time they’re much younger and appear to have an eye on the future. They have road games before December. 1 against a few of the best teams in the league, including San Antonio, Memphis, Milwaukee, Houston, Oklahoma City and last year’s National Basketball Association finalists: Golden State and Cleveland.
Now that Deron Williams has been bought out of his contract and Joe Johnson is a year away from completing his deal, Lopez is the face of the franchise and will be asked to shoulder the load for a largely young Nets team.
A new-look bench contains scores of new reserves, including Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington and first-round pick Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Nikola Mirotic played his best game in a long time as he almost had a double-double with 19 points and nine rebounds.
The Nets’ roster now stands at 15. “I’ve got to get adjusted to it and we can definitely go both ways”.
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With Jarrett Jack missing practice Monday due to a tight hamstring, Sloan could be pressed into action Wednesday night in the season opener against the Chicago Bulls.
