The Long Island Nets returned to the court on Friday night for a second game in their first back-to-back of the season at Place Bell in suburban Montreal. Following their loss against the Wisconsin Herd in their first Canadian game Thursday, Long Island got back on track in this one and defeated Wisconsin, 121-112.
Their attendance goal got back on track as well, as 6,201 fans made their way to the arena in Laval, Quebec. for this one. After averaging nearly 7,000 fans last season in six Canadian
games last season, Thursday night’s game only drew 5,193 which the team chalked up to timing. The game was up against a Montreal Canadiens game downtown
The “Les Nets” promotion in its second year of ,“ in the second year is shared by Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the Nets, Liberty, and Barclays Center parent company, and Groupe CH, which owns the Montreal Canadians and two arenas in Quebec. BSE is attempting to establish a new fan base in French-speaking Canada, while Groupe CH is playing a longer game, hoping to attract an NBA franchise to Canada’s second-largest city. Long Island will return to Montreal early next month for another set of games and community events.
Once again, the Quebec fans treated Long Island as the home team…
Friday nights game was notable for a couple of reasons beyond the win, the Nets’ G Leaguers’ fourth in regular season. The win saw the return of Grant Nelson, the Alabama 7-footer who Brooklyn signed to an Exhibit 10 in the summer and assigned to Long Island. He had played six games before tweaking his knee back on November 26. After missing seven weeks. Friday’s game saw Nelson not just ease his way back into the swing of things, but start. It was a very good showing and hopefully one he can build on. Although the hyperathletic North Dakota native, scored only two points in 15 minutes, he corralled six boards and blocked a shot, both things the Nets want to see from him.
Nelson was pegged as a second-rounder in the 2025 NBA Draft, but late in the second, he reportedly passed on an opportunity to hear Mark Tatum call his name and instead became a free agent so he could the Nets organization and compete for a two-way..
The other promising development was a 36-point effort by 6’4” wing Malachi Smith who ironically was filling in for two-way E.J. Liddell. Ironically, the two played together — and won an Illinois state championship — in high school. He’s someone who doesn’t always get talked about a ton, as he goes a bit under the radar with the Flatbush 5 and Brooklyn’s three two-way players cycling through. Regardless, Smith shot the ball very well, connecting on 14 of his 22 shots, including going 1-of-3 from deep. He also picked up six rebounds, nine assists, and a steal to his credit. The nine assists matched a career-high for Smith, matching his output on Thursday night.
Chaney Johnson, the Nets recent two-way signing and at 23 Long Island’s youngest player, came off the bench in this one and picked up 12 points. Johnson connected on five of his seven shots for a better shooting performance than the night before. Johnson also had five rebounds, one assist, and one block in this one. He also picked up four turnovers in 22 minutes.
Brooklyn most senior two-way. guard Tyson Etienne added 12 points with six assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes as he became the second player in franchise history to knock down at least 200 3-pointers. Overall, Etienne didn’t have the prettiest game shooting the ball as he just connected on three of his 10 shots, including going 2-0f-7 from deep.
Nate Williams had 19 points in this one, continuing his stellar play as of late. The 6’6” wing who turns 27 next month has the most NBA experience one the roster with 47 NBA games. He connected on seven of his 15 shots, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Williams also picked up seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal to his credit. Williams has been on a tear lately, reminding the Nets why they traded Drew Timme for him in the offseason.
Trevon Scott, Long Island’s 28-year-old big, flirted with a double-double, as he finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds. The 28-year-old also had two assists, a steal, and a block.
Long Island fell behind early after a 17-7 run by the Herd in the first and trailed Wisconsin 32-23 after one quarter. The Nets responded by scoring the first 10 points of the second quarter and outscored the Herd 39-25 in the period to take a 62-57 lead into the locker room. Long Island finished the second quarter without a single turnover after committing seven in the first.
Long Island maintained the lead with an 8-0 run from 3:23 to 2:20 in the third quarter and entered the final period up by four, 85-81, after a highlight dunk by Johnson with two seconds remaining in the third. Long Island finally took control of a tightly-contested fourth quarter with a 10-2 run in the final frame to close out the team’s trip to Laval with a 121-112 win.
The Nets outscored Wisconsin 58-38 in the paint and won the offensive rebounding battle by a margin of 12-4. Long Island finished the game shooting 53.0% from the field and 40.7% from deep with six players scoring in double figures.
Victor Oladipo, the NBA veteran guard who’s trying for a comeback after various injuries, didn’t play in the back-to-back.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (4-4) return to Nassau Coliseum on Monday night for a showdown with their old friend KJ Jones II and the 5-3 Stockton Kings. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be watched on Prime Video, as well as on the Gotham Sports app.
