The New Jersey Nets have not beaten the San Antonio Spurs on the road in nearly a decade. They will have a chance to end that skid when they visit the Spurs on Friday night, and the recent addition of All-Star point guard Deron Williams might improve their chances.
Williams is expected to make his debut for New Jersey (17-40, 4-25 away) on Friday. The Nets acquired him shortly after losing out on Carmelo Anthony earlier in the week. To get Williams, New Jersey had to give up Devin Harris, rookie Derrick Favors, two first-round draft picks and $3 million in cash.
“Very rarely are you able to trade for someone who is arguably the best at his position,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “We had to give up a lot, but when you get a chance to get him, you go for it. It wasn’t a planned trade.”
Although Williams certainly adds some spark to the Nets lineup, the odds are certainly stacked against them going into Friday’s game. New Jersey has one of the worst road records in the league and hasn’t won in San Antonio since Jan. 22, 2002. The Spurs have the league’s best record and have not lost at home in nearly three months. A win Friday would give the Spurs their first 20-game home winning streak since Nov. 11, 1989-Feb. 6, 1990.
San Antonio (47-10, 26-2 home) improved its home record to 26-2 with Wednesday’s 109-105 win over Oklahoma City. Tony Parker had 20 points and Gary Neal came off the bench to score 19.
I'm a basketball fan from Vancouver, Canada. Losing the Grizzlies was bitter-sweet. They sucked balls, so I never really started supporting them, but now I only get to catch games on TV.