On the Hardwood
The Nets showed us last night why there should be some hope here in Kings County, as they crushed Philadelphia 131-114 at Barclays Center. The man of the hour was Bojan Bogdanovic, who scored 44 points shooting 17-27 from the field. Helping the Nets break a four game losing streak, Bogdanovic was sensational from the start.
Aside from Bogdanovic, Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young chipped in 18 and 14 points respectively. Young was also able to come away with 16 key rebounds that help set the tone for the Nets, who needed to be physical in this game.
Lastly, it was Sean Kilpatrick who is still fighting to stay on the team who came away with 19 points. Kilpatrick has been steady off the bench and last night was no different. If he keeps supplying ammo off of the bench like this, Kilpatrick could actually be a big part of the Nets future.
But obviously, the story of the night was Bogdanovich who certainly delivered when the chips were down. The small forward was able to come up with plenty of clutch shots to help set up the offense for a Nets team that has been lacking energy on the offensive end. Bogdanovich is not playing for a contract, since he is locked in for the next two seasons for the Nets, and if he can continue at this rate, he will certainly be a key part of the future for this team.
On the Ice
The Islanders had a huge win Monday night over the Florida Panthers, 3-2, at Barclays Center. They then went ahead and followed up that win with an overtime loss in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night. Falling 2-1 in a shootout, the Isles have now lost three out of four games. There next game will be on Thursday in Nsahville.
In the game last night, the Islanders fell behind early but they were able to get a big goal from Kyle Okposo late in the third period to help send the game into overtime. Defensively, neither team let up in OT and once the shoutout began, the Penguins had the edge. When the final shot by John Tavares was saved by Marc-Andre Fluery, the Penguins had sealed the fate for the Isles, giving them their 21st loss of the season.
This week is crucial for the Isles since they have four games to play. this will give them a chance to get some much needed points and possibly catch some of the teams that are ahead of them. For instance, the Islanders and the Rangers are basically neck and neck (the Rangers lead by just one point) and it will be interesting to see how this plays out the rest of the way. If they do meet up in the playoffs,
With the clock ticking on this 2015-2016 season, the Isles are definitely in good shape. They are right at the top of a packed eastern conference, but they realize that there is little room for error. Only four points separates the second through sixth best teams in the conference, and this could wind up playing a huge role in the playoff race. Certainly, the points that are accumulated at this pint in the season could determine who gets home ice when the playoffs begin
