Sasha Vujacic posts career-high 25 as New Jersey Nets down the New Orleans Hornets – NBA Recap
There hasn’t been much to ride on this season for the New Jersey Nets. On Wednesday night at the Prudential Centre though, the Nets rode on a career-high 25 points from Sasha Vujacic and an off night from veteran Hornets’ swingman
Chris Paul, as they took down the New Orleans Hornets 103-101 in extra time.
The see saw battle in which the two team literally matched each other in every facet of the game, ultimately proved to be a bitter pill to swallow for the Hornets.
It all came down to the last 1.7 seconds of the game when Chris Paul found the ball in a potentially match winning position. His long range effort from the top of the key though failed to find its mark as the Nets escaped with
a win.
Complementing Sasha’s efforts, five other players from the New Jersey outfit reached the double figures. Centre Brook Lopez had 20 points, guard Anthony Morrow shot 3-of-5 from long range, totalling 15 points while Kris Humphries
tallied his team-leading 15th double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench.
For the Hornets, small forward David West spearheaded with 32 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in a mavericks 52:29 minutes effort on the court. Point Guard Willie Green had 19 points while Jarrett Jack came off the
bench to score 12 points
The biggest disappointment of the night was Chris Paul. The veteran guard had an icy cold night, shooting 4-of-15 from the field and 1-of-3 from the long range. In addition to the crucial 3-point miss down the stretch, he also
turned over the ball seven times to round off a miserable night.
"I don't care what anybody says about a bunch of different things happening over the course of the game," said Paul, who finished with nine points, 11 assists and five rebounds. "I feel like this was my loss. The turnovers. The
decision-making down the stretch. We have to impose our will."
The match began on an even note but the Hornets keyed by Willie Green and David West started to open up a lead midway. Down by 25-17 with 2:19 to the go in the first quarter, Kris Humphries drove down the lane for a layup that
started a significant resurgence for the home team. Sasha followed with a jumper and the Nets were on their way to a 14-2 burst, bridging the first and the second quarter that propelled them to 32-27 lead.
The Nets maintained kept the Hornets apart by at least four throughout the rest of the frame, which ended with a 46-42 score line.
Starting the third quarter from where they left the second, the Nets rattled an early 8-0 spurt to sprint at a 55-46 lead. The Hornets though were not willing to back off. The visitors bounced right back with a vicious 19-6 run,
that not only slashed the deficit but also propelled them ahead, as a barrage of three pointers capped the run.
Although the Nets equalled the scores in the dying seconds of the third quarter but two free throws by West ensured that the Hornets go into the fourth quarter, leading at 71-69.
The final quarter of the play proved to be a thriller. It started with 12-2 spurt from the Nets that really put the heat on the Hornets. The sudden onslaught however did not shake the Hornets as they drove right to the throats
of the Nets with a 19-5 spurt to lead by 91-86 with 56.7 to go.
Jordan Farmar then answered with a three and after Chris Paul missed a jumper, Sasha Vujacic drove and found Kris Humphries under the basket for a dunk to tie it with 12 seconds to go. David West had a chance to win it for the
Hornets in the last ditch moments of the regulation time, but his attempted buzzer beating jumper fell short.
In overtime, Vujacic and Lopez hit the ground running. The duo combined for 8 of the 10 New Jersey points within the first four minutes as the Nets busted open a 101-96 lead with 1:19 to go.
The Hornets though came back with five straight points and tied it with 46 seconds to go. Lopez however earned a foul in Nets’ very next possession and he converted the two resulting free throws to put the Nets up by two with 24
seconds left.
The Nets spurned their chances to seal the game in their next two possessions but were lucky enough to see out the match as the Chris Paul missed his last gasp shot.
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