Lightning struck twice this weekend for the Long Island Nets as they eeked out two back-to-back wins over the Iowa Wolves, one easy on Sunday, the other a tight one Monday night, 108-106. Six players wound
up in double figures including two of the Nets three two-ways and one of the Flatbush Five.
Long Island entered the fourth up by 14 points. At one point in the fourth, with roughly nine minutes remaining in the game, the Nets even led by twenty points. However, that lead quickly diminished as Long Island suffered a monumental collapse. In the end, it was rookie Ben Saraf who saved the day with a critical steal and drive to seal the nail-biter. Saraf finished with 17.
The win gives Long Island a 7-5 record, good for fifth in the G League’s Eastern Conference.
Early on, it was E.J. Liddell once again looked great in this one. Liddell finished this one with 18 points, connecting on 7-of-8 shots, including going 2-of-3. Liddell, the 6’7” Ohio State product who turned 25 last month, led the team in scoring while grabbing seven rebounds, one assist, and two steals to his credit.
However, perhaps the strongest part of Liddell’s game was found further along in the boxscore. Liddell also led the team and the game in blocks in this one, tallying four. He didn’t have a single block yesterday, which is very uncharacteristic for Liddell, one of the G League leaders in the category. Liddell is a very solid offensive player, but where he thrives the most is on defense, and more specifically, knowing how to execute a block perfectly.
“It’s a God-given gift,” Liddell told ND about his blocking ability and how he worked at it to get it where it is today. “The timing, the patience, I think it’s just me blocking out negativity. That’s how I look at it when I’m blocking shots. Blocking out bad vibes. That’s just a gift I’ve always had.” Truthfully, at times, Liddell looks like he has more potential than a couple of the rookies do.
Tyson Etienne, also on a two-way deal, was coming off a 25-point performance on Sunday. In this one, he had a minor step back in points, but he put together an all-around much better game than he had on Sunday. Etienne connected on six of his 13 shots, including hitting 4-of-11 from beyond the arc. Etienne finished this game with 16 points.
However, where Etienne really excelled was as a playmaker in this one. Etienne picked up a 10 assists, a career high, giving him a double-double. He also had three steals to his credit.
Now let’s get to the Brooklyn rookie, Ben Saraf. Saraf has been very tough to read since being sent down by the Nets. One game he throws up 40 points, another game he only has eight points. He’s also been troubled by ankle woes. In this one, it looked like it was going to be another nightmare game for the rookie. He started by connecting on one of his six shots, very similar to his start in Sunday’s game.
But in typical Saraf-fashion, it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. Saraf finished this game connecting on six of his 14 shot attempts, which looks an awful lot better than one-for-six. He also connected on three-of-six from beyond the arc. Saraf also tallied five rebounds, five assists, and one block.
However, where Saraf shone the most was in the ballhawk department. He tallied four steals in this one. While many people have an opinion on Saraf, one thing that they have to give him credit for is his ability to read passes. Even if he doesn’t always finish the game with “x” amount of steals, he reads passes very well and knows how to disrupt them. He’s always on the ball, despite what the stat sheet says. Moreover, as his two big plays at the end prove, he has a clutch gene.
Grant Nelson returned in this one after missing Sunday’s game due to injury management. The 7-foot 23-year-old tallied 10 points, four rebounds, and one assist, all in 16 minutes. He played well enough for the Iowa commentator to remark how he was “shocked” that Nelson was not one of the players to receive a two-way contract by Brooklyn. He added that he’s also “shocked” that Nelson was available for the taking by any team that wants him. However, Nelson told ND last week how happy he is with organization crediting Brooklyn and Long Island performance staffs with helping to mitigate a knee issue that’s bothered him since he was 18.
Indeed, he’s looked very good despite minutes restricts as we noted this morning *despite a typo…
This leads to yet another question. Who should be given a two-way deal more? Nelson, or Chaney Johnson? Johnson is the latest Brooklyn two-way signee. In this one, you wouldn’t know it, though. Johnson came off the bench in this one, picking up eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block, fulfilling the D part of his 3-and-D potential. For Johnson, who went undrafted out of Auburn, it was his first game of less than 10 points since being called up from Cleveland.
Of course, two-way deals are non-guaranteed and the Nets have a recent history of moving players, from either the G League to a standard NBA contract or pulling their two-way status while permitting the play to continue playing on a lesser G League deal.
Brooklyn may someone special on their hands with Nelson, at least at the G League level. He’s already making highlight reels…
Trevon Scott picked up 15 points as he connected on five of his 10 shots from the field for 50%. Nate Williams had a quiet game by his standards, tallying 11 points, hitting on just four of his nine shots for less than 50%.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (7-5) look to continue their winning ways on Wednesday, January 21st, as they travel to South Dakota to face off with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. EST and can be watched on the NBA G League and Long Island Nets respective websites. It will also be available on the FanDuel Sports Network.
