NBA Basketball
After a big win against the Boston Celtics to close out last week, the Nets hit the road for two games against perennial playoff contenders in Oklahoma City and Cleveland.
Kevin Durant led the way for the Thunder on Wednesday night, putting up 30 points and 8 rebounds. The Nets were able to hang with OKC for most of the game, but things unraveled in the fourth quarter when Durant and his teammate and possible MVP candidate Russell Westbrook took over and handed the Nets their 12th loss in this young season.
After a two day layoff, Brooklyn went up against last year’s Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Nets battled throughout the whole game with the Cleveland, but in heartbreaking fashion, Lebron James came up big at crunch time, scoring on a running hook shot with just a second left in the game. Defensively, the Nets were able to get some big stops, but when it mattered most, King James showed why he is still one of the best players on planet earth.
To close out the week, the Nets topped the Detroit Pistons 87-83 on Sunday night earning their fourth win of the season and avoiding a three game losing streak. Aside from their lackluster record of 4-13, they have been competing in every one of their games over the last couple of weeks and they have now won two out of their last four games.
The Nets will go up against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night at the Barclays Center
NHL Hockey
Things didn’t end on a high note for the New York Islanders last week when they suffered back to back losses to the Montreal Canadians, the team with the best record in the NHL.
On Wednesday night, the Islanders had a huge win against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Barclays Center. In a very physical game, it was Goaltender Jaroslav Halak who made the difference with 17 saves and leading the Isles to a 3-1 victory.
After the holiday, the Isles split a two game set in Florida against the Panthers and last season’s Eastern Conference Champion, the Tampa Bay Lightning. After losing in a shootout 3-2 to the Panthers on Friday night, the Isles had a huge win on Saturday against the Lightning, winning the game 3-2, with an identical score to the previous game.
At 12-8-4 and 28 points overall, the Islanders are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan division. As the season progresses, there is no question that this team has what it takes to compete for a top notch playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The islanders go up against the Colorado Avalanche tonight at the Barclays Center.
