Off the backs of Nolan Traore’s 18 points, the Long Island Nets defeated the Westchester Knicks in runaway fashion, 115-95, at the Westchester County Center in Westchester. While this marked a regular Tip-Off Tournament game, Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez was in attendance to undoubtedly keep an eye on the rookies in this one. He didn’t speak to media post-game.
Traore continued to shoot the ball very well. He connected on seven of his 11 shot attempts, including hitting both of his attempts from
beyond the arc. Traore has been taking a lot of smart shots, which is a testament to his great shooting percentage. He finished this game with 18 points, which was third on the team behind Tre Scott (20) and Nate Williams (19).
Traore didn’t have a single rebound to his credit, but he flirted with a double-double, picking up eight assists. Traore continued to get his teammates good looks for open shots, including forming a bit of a connection with Drake Powell. The rest of Traore’s stat sheet had a goose egg in each category, but that’s not a bad thing, especially when it comes to one specific one.
Traore played arguably his best game in the ball protection aspect. For the first time in his G League career, Traore finished the game with zero turnovers. Things have very much been trending in the right direction for Traore in this aspect, with the best showing yet taking place on Wednesday. Traore plays a very fast game, and very few players can top his speed. If he can continue to be smart with the ball, he’ll have a very bright future in the NBA and hopefully on the big club in Brooklyn.
The game against the lowly Knicks, the G League’s worst team, was a blowout early…
Indeed, the Nets held a double-digit lead throughout the second quarter with Westchester getting no closer than 14.
Drake Powell played his second game with Long Island in this one. Coming off an eight-point performance on Tuesday, would Powell play more of a bigger factor on the stat sheet? Unfortunately, no. Powell connected on two of his seven shots, struggling mightily from deep, only hitting one of his six shot attempts. In total, Powell finished with six points.
Powell also finished with three rebounds and two assists. However, what Powell lacked in shooting the ball, he made up for in being the best ballhawk of the game. Powell finished with a game-best five steals. This led to a lot of unanswered points for Long Island and played a big part in getting them their double-digit lead, which they maintained the whole second half.
The third and final rookie on Long Island right now is Ben Saraf. Saraf made his return to Long Island on Tuesday, where he struggled to shoot the ball. Unfortunately, things wouldn’t fare much better for Saraf in this one. Saraf connected on just two of his seven shots, but if there’s any silver lining, it’s that Saraf has yet to miss from deep in his first two games back with Long Island. He went two-for-two on Tuesday and followed that up by connecting on his only attempt from deep on Wednesday.
In total, Saraf picked up five points. He also hauled in six rebounds while tallying five assists. Saraf’s big downside to his game on Wednesday was, unfortunately, in the turnover department. He finished second on the team in turnovers with four. However, these are all somewhat expected growing pains. The potential is most certainly still there for Saraf and Powell, for that matter.
Brooklyn Nets two-way player, Tyson Etienne, remained with Long Island in this one. Etienne finished with 13 points, connecting on four of his nine attempts from deep. He went three-for-six from deep, having a much better shooting performance on Wednesday than he did the day before. He also had one assist and one steal to his credit.
EJ Liddell was inactive this game, currently dealing with a left ankle sprain. This injury comes at a rough time, as he’s been playing lights out with Long Island, playing with something to prove. Stay tuned to NetsDaily or Scott Mitchell on X for more updates on this injury as they become available.
Tre Scott led the team in scoring with 20 points. Scott finished the game connecting on eight of his 16 shot attempts, but only connecting on two of his seven shots from deep. He also had five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. However, Scott’s downfall in this one came in the turnover department as he tallied five. With that said, Scott is absolutely a name to keep in mind this season. With all the attention on the rookies and the two-ways, Scott remains a name to keep an eye on.
Nate Williams finished second on the team in scoring with 19. He hit seven of his 15 shots, including shooting 50% from deep. He also had five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Yuri Collins had 13 points of his own, as well as six rebounds and six assists. He shot almost lights out, connecting on six of his seven attempts.
David Muoka is a name that we don’t talk about much, but in this game, you have to give him his credit. Muoka’s had a rocky season, and that’s putting it nicely. He played arguably his best game in a Nets uniform, tallying 10 points, three rebounds, and three blocks.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (6-7) return to the court on Friday in Westchester, as they once again battle the Westchester Knicks, as their Tip-Off Tournament comes to an end. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on the Gotham Sports app, as well as the NBA G League website.
