Streaking The Wrong Way
There appears to be only so much even Jason Kidd can do for the New Jersey Nets.
The veteran point guard hopes to get his team off to a fast start as the Nets try to end their five-game home losing streak Saturday when they meet their Atlantic Division rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers.
Oddsmakers from Bodog have made New Jersey -8.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 187 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 58% of bets for this game have been placed on New Jersey -8.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
Kidd posted his fourth triple-double of the season and 91st of his career Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough as the Nets (7-8) fell 110-103 to the Memphis Grizzlies. While Vince Carter had a season-high 32 points and Richard Jefferson added 27, the Nets fell behind by 13 points at halftime and rallied to within 99-98 with 2:05 left before falling short.
"Losing is losing, I don’t care what it is, whether we’ve been here three or four days,” said Carter, who made his first start since Nov. 10. "This is a tough one."
The Nets have trailed at halftime during all five games of their home skid, including double-digit deficits in the last four. They fell behind by 13 points at the break on Tuesday to waste Kidd’s 12 points, 12 assists and 15 rebounds.
"We have to find a way to get out of that hole, instead of being down 15 before we start playing," Kidd told the Nets’ official Web site. "After halftime, we always erase that deficit and then it’s anybody’s ball game and we just have to find a way to get over that hump sometimes.
"But we can’t dig that hole. That’ll wear on you come 50 games. You won’t be able to get out of that hole."
Kidd has recorded six of his triple-doubles against the 76ers, including one in a 93-88 victory at Philadelphia on Nov. 3. Kidd had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in that game.
One of the problems the Nets have had is their perimeter defense. Their opponents are shooting 41.9 percent on 3-pointers – the worst mark in the NBA. The Grizzlies made 11 of 22 shots from beyond the arc Tuesday, and New Jersey has allowed 10 or more 3-pointers in four games, losing all of them.
But the 76ers (5-10) may not be the team to take advantage of New Jersey’s shortcomings. They tied a franchise record by going 0-for-14 from 3-point range in Friday’s 85-84 victory over the Washington Wizards and are shooting just 31.1 percent from beyond the arc overall.
Andre Iguodala missed 16 straight shots in one stretch and was held to single digits for just the second time this season, but Samuel Dalembert and Andre Miller picked up the slack offensively by scoring 19 and 18 points, respectively.
"We’re not going to shoot well all the time, so we have to find other ways to win,” said Dalembert, who pulled down 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
Kyle Korver has a team-high 18 3-pointers but is just 3-for-19 from the field in his last two games – 1-for-10 from beyond the arc. The 76ers’ top reserve did have a double-double in the loss to New Jersey, totaling 11 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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