The New Jersey Nets are already off to the worst start in
franchise history and will try again to crack the win column tonight, when the
team faces the Atlantic Division-rival Philadelphia 76ers at the IZOD Center.
New Jersey suffered its seventh loss to open the season with Saturday's 86-76
setback versus fellow Atlantic Division member Boston, with Brook Lopez
scoring a team-high 23 points and pulling down seven rebounds in defeat. Rafer
Alston netted 20 points for the Nets, who committed 24 turnovers.
"We put our best foot forward, we battled them for pretty much 48 minutes,"
Lopez said. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."
The Nets hope to stop a three-game slide at home Wednesday.
Philadelphia has dropped two in a row and three of its past four games to fall
to 3-4 on the young season.
In a tough 119-115 home loss to the rising Phoenix Suns on Monday, Andre
Iguodala finished with 24 points and nine rebounds for the Sixers, while
Marreese Speights added 20 points and eight boards off the bench in the
setback.
"(The Suns) continued to make a lot of threes," Iguodala said afterwards.
"They made the tough shots and made the open ones. When the three-ball's going
for them, they're really tough to beat."
The 76ers recently defeated New Jersey, 97-94, at the Wachovia Center last
Friday thanks to Lou Williams' 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Philadelphia ended a four-game losing streak in the series, but the Nets have
won seven of the last 10 matchups between the teams. The Sixers have lost two
straight, nine of 12 and 10 of its last 15 games as the guest in this series.
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