Playing basketball on Super Bowl Sunday anywhere in the United States would be attendance death but in French-speaking Canada, it made no difference. The Canadian Football League plays its big game, the Grey Club, in late November. (The Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Montreal Alouettes, 25-17, ICYMI.)
So the Long Island Nets did well on Sunday in attracting 6,720 fans — a sellout — to Place Bell in suburban Montreal for a game with the Indiana Pacers new G League entry, the Noblesville Boom.
This
game marked the beginning of the second and final “homestand” Long Island will play in Laval, Quebec, just north of Montreal, as well as the ninth they’ve played in French-speaking Canada over the past two season. It was also a success on court as EJ Liddell and Nate Williams combined for 43 points in the 110-94 Long Island win.
Long Island now has a 2-1 record this season, having split a pair of games vs. the Wisconsin Herd last month, as they attempt to establish a fan base north of the border. Sunday. Long Island split their first two home games in Laval against the Wisconsin Herd. Last Monday, NetsDaily spoke with Vice President of Business Operations for the Long Island Nets and the New York Liberty, about the organization’s feelings coming off those games.
“It went really well,” Taylor told ND. “We got really great player feedback. To know that we didn’t play Toronto, similar to last year, we didn’t play them, and it really felt truly like our home game. Fans knew who they were coming for; they were yelling players’ names and buying jerseys. It was a really great experience.”
The games provide the Nets with an opportunity to expand its international fan base, already among the biggest and most aggressive in the league while giving its Montreal partner, Groupe CH, an opportunity to show the league that they are a worthy candidate for an expansion team. Groupe GH owns the Montreal Canadiens and the city’s two big venues, Place Bell with its 7,000-capacity in Laval and Centre Bell in downtown Montreal which can hold more than 20,000 for basketball.
When asked if any numbers stood out for Taylor and Long Island, she responded, “We were really excited about how many tickets were sold over the two games, especially now that we played a back-to-back,” Morgan says. “Again, we didn’t play Toronto, so this was real Montreal fans, Laval fans, who came out to support us.”
In January of last year, Long Island set its home attendance record, drawing 7,750 fans to see the Nets play the Toronto Raptors 905. While this number hasn’t been hit since, Sunday was one of the closest ones they got to it. Long Island sold out Sunday’s game in the Place Bell, drawing in 6,720 fans. This is far more than the average 2,000 fans (if that) that come to see Long Island play at their real home of the Nassau Coliseum.
This continuing enthusiasm, without a doubt, contributed to Long Island’s hot play Sunday. While it was close until the third, Long Island pulled away on the backs of Nate Williams and Brooklyn two-way player E.J. Liddell to put the game away by going up over 20 points. It was a solid all-around win for Long Island as they had five players crack double-digits, and emptied their entire bench in this one.
Nate Williams led the team and the game in scoring, tallying 24 points and seven boards. The 6’6” wing connected on 10 of his 14 shots, making his only shot from deep, and two-of-two from the foul line. This was a very strong shooting performance from Williams and one that only helps his chances of being picked up for a two-way deal, whether it be in Brooklyn or elsewhere.
Liddell was second on the team in scoring, tallying 19 points. In his previous two games, Liddell tallied 30 and then 32 points, both of which were season-highs. However, while Liddell didn’t quite crack the 30’s again for his third consecutive game, he still shot the ball well in his 28 minutes. He connected on four of his nine shots, including going 3-of-4 from deep, and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul stripe.
He still remains a prime candidate for the standard deal opening in Brooklyn, created when the team acquired two new players and waived three at the deadline, Liddell, a 25-year-old, has already played eight games for Brooklyn.
Malachi Smith, his high school teammate at Belleville West in Illinois, continues to shine. Smith continued his very hot play in this one, tallying 18 points, with 70% shooting. He also connected on two of his three tries from beyond the arc, and one of his two shots from the foul stripe. Night in and night out, Smith has been flirting with a triple-double, and Sunday’s game was no different. Smith officially notched a double-double, as he had 10 assists.
The second Brooklyn two-way player on hand in this one, Tyson Etienne, had 12 points, two rebounds, four assists, and one block. Etienne shot the ball 43%, including connecting on just two of his six shots from deep. The third and final Brooklyn two-way player with Long Island, Chaney Johnson, led the bench points with 13 on five-for-eight from the field. He also tallied three rebounds, one assist, three steals, and one block, playing a very well-rounded game.
Grant Nelson has been someone you’ve seen us talk about multiple times for a two-way spot. Nelson has been showing up and showing out in his minutes restriction and has arguably played well enough for a two-way spot. In this one, Nelson had a very quiet game by his standards. but not when you realize he only took five shots all game.
Nelson, still on a minutes restriction after rehabbing his knew, tallied seven points, connecting on two-of-five shots from the field, as well as hitting his only try from deep. While Nelson had a very quiet game offensively, he still pulled his weight and then some when it came to other aspects of the game. Nelson hauled in seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
No word on how long his minutes restrictions will last. Nelson played 21 minutes in Sunday’s game.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (12-8) will have Monday off as they gear up for a rematch with the Noblesville Boom on Tuesday, February 10th. This game marks the end of Long Island’s second and final homestand of the season in Montreal, and the fourth and final game in Montreal for the season. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on ESPN+ and the Gotham Sports app.
