It will be a long year for Long Island if Friday night’s debut vs. Windy City turns out to be the norm. The young Nets were blown out the Bulls’ D-League club at the Sears Center in suburban Chicago, 123-94.
The Bulls led, 33-18, at the end of the first; 62-37 at the half. With J.J. Avila, a 6’8” forward who played last season in Belgium, leading the charge, Windy City destroyed the Nets defense. On offense, the Nets couldn’t hit the three-pointer, going 4-of-20 for the half.
Things got a little better in the second half, with the Nets winning the third 28-26, before falling behind again in the fourth.
For the Nets, Beau Beech led the way with 20 points, going 7-of-16 overall and 4-of-12 from three. Chris McCullough, assigned to Long Island two days ago, played better in the second half than the first. He finished with 16 points in 24 minutes, shooting 6-of-11, 1-of-2 from three. But the 6’11” McCullough missed six free throws.
The best player on the court for the Nets was first round pick Boris Dallo, the 6’6” French point guard. Dallo was three assists shy of a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Dallo, not known for his three point shooting, went 3-of-4, including two in the row in the third. Although none of the Nets had a positive +/-, the 22-year-old came close with a -4.
For the Bulls, also making their D-League debut, Avila wound up with 21. Point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, a recent addition to the Bulls roster, had a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists.
The game was telecast on Facebook Live. Aside from audio that was often 20 to 30 seconds ahead or behind game action, the announcers didn’t seem fully prepared. At one point in the third, one announcer called Long Island’s head coach “Gary Nored,” while the other correctly referred to him as “Ronald Nored.”
Long Island gets another shot at the team’s first win Saturday vs. the Charge in Canton, Ohio.
