Nets vs. Clippers: 3 Bad Stats

We have looked at the 3 Good Stats from the New Jersey Nets 110-96 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.  It was an impressive way to kick off their 4-game West coast swing, but that doesn't mean it was all positive for New Jersey.

Here are 3 bad stats to keep an eye on before the Nets take on the Jazz on Wednesday night.

1. 3 Rebounds

The Nets have struggled on the glass for most of the season and there was has been no bigger culprit than Brook Lopez who only pulled down 3 rebounds against the Clippers front line of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.  It's easy to overlook these sort of efforts when a team shoots 60% from the floor, but as we all know that won't be the case most nights.

Lopez averaged 8.7 rebounds last season but so far is only pulling down 5.6 per game and has yet to register 10 in a game.

2. 20 Free Throws

If you hold a team to just 20 trips to the charity stripe, that has to be considered a victory.  Unfortunately for the Nets, Clippers guard Eric Gordon alone earned that many attempts from the free throw line, 1 more than the entire New Jersey team.

Again, shooting anything in the neighborhood of 60% will cure all ills but most night's you can't sent any one player to the line 20 times.

3. 17 Offensive Rebounds

Even with the struggles of Brook Lopez, New Jersey ended up winning the rebounding battle 35-34, but they gave up an incredible 17 offensive boards to the Clippers.  The 6-11 Jordan had a game-high 5 of the offensive rebounds, but the Nets were hurt by the little guys as well.  Guards Gordon and Eric Bledsoe combined for 7 while the entire New Jersey team only had 9.

Nets vs. Clippers: 3 Good Stats

The New Jersey Nets kicked off their four game West coast swing with a bang, taking down the Los Angeles Clippers 110-96 at Staples Center Monday night.

Before they try to make it two in a row against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, here are three good stats to take away from the Nets 4th victory of the season.

1.33-20 Bench Scoring

It seems like every game, no matter if the Nets are leading or trailing, they are being failed by their second unit.  A big reason for the problems is the continued absence of do-it-all Terrence Williams who is still out with an abdominal strain, but as a whole the bench has been a disappointment early on in the season.  That wasn't a problem Monday in LA.

One of the biggest reasons was the emergence of Jordan Farmar (15 points).  After an impressive preseason, the backup point guard has struggled to find a groove.  It would appear playing at his old stomping grounds helped to snap him out of his funk and getting a season-high 35 minutes after the premature exit of Devin Harris certainly didn't hurt matters.

Speaking of which...

2. 1 Flagrant Foul

No one is saying you should go out trying to hurt someone, but at the same time the Nets have been a team that for too long gave up layup after layup.  So, yes, when Harris grabbed Blake Griffin around the shoulders and pulled him to the ground at the tail end of a breakaway it is a good thing for the Nets season.

New Jersey has talked about wanting to be more physical, but short of a Terrence Williams hip check of LeBron James it has mostly rang hollow.  Monday night in Staples Center, there was a different kind of ringing going on and it was Griffin's bell.

The flagrant foul got Harris ejected, but it seemed to energize his teammates, who refused to break when tested without their point guard later in the game.

Take a look and decide if the foul was ejection-worthy

3. 59.7% Shooting

There were plenty that the Nets did wrong against the Clippers (which we'll talk about later on) but you can get away with a whole lot more when you shoot nearly 60% from the floor.  And this wasn't a case of a couple players shooting out of their mind to cover up for teammates. 

Outside of Stephen Graham's 1-for-4 night, every single Net that attempted a shot finished the night with a percentage north of 45.  It's awfully hard to lose when a team fills it up at that clip.

Nets 110, Clippers 96: Lopez Leads The Way After Harris Ejection

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Brook Lopez netted 24 points and Travis Outlaw added 23, as the New Jersey Nets ended a long losing streak against the Western Conference with a 110-96 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Kris Humphries contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Nets, who had lost 23 straight games to opponents from the West. Jordan Farmer was a spark off the bench with 15 points and 12 assists in helping the club win for the second time in three games.

"All facets of [Lopez's] game are starting to come. We're growing," Nets head coach Avery Johnson said.

Eric Gordon scored a game-high 30 points, while Eric Bledsoe and Al-Farouq Aminu deposited 15 and 14 points, respectively for the Clippers, losers of six straight to fall to 1-10 on the year.

"We have a lot of young guys trying to find their way with our veterans out," Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said, referring to Chris Kaman and Baron Davis both sitting on the sideline with injuries. "We have a ways to go. We made too many mistakes."

The Clippers trailed 76-70 with a quarter to play and never pulled closer than three. They had it at 89-86 following a Gordon slam at the midway point, but Outlaw's bucket in transition and Anthony Morrow's mid-range jumper from the right wing gave the Nets the momentum back.

Coming out of a timeout after Morrow's bucket, Gordon turned the ball over and Farmer put in a driving layup. The Clippers never seriously threatened from there.

The Nets held a small 24-23 lead after 12 minutes and extended it to 38-27 on a Devin Harris jumper a little more than 4 1/2 minutes into the second stanza.

Outlaw's three-pointer beat the halftime buzzer for a 55-44 Nets cushion.

This is the Clippers' worst start since they opened 0-17 in 1998-99...Harris was ejected in the second quarter for a flagrant-2 foul...Blake Griffin was held to 11 points and three rebounds for the Clippers, who allowed the Nets to shot a scorching 59.7 percent from the field.

New Jersey Nets At Los Angeles Clippers: Have-Nots Clash In Cali

The New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers, who have combined for 5 wins this season, will meet at the Staples Center Monday night as the Nets kick off a four-game West coast swing.

While the Nets are coming off a 91-90 loss to Orlando, it was one of their best efforts of the season as the Magic needed a last second shot from Jameer Nelson to pull out the victory.  Devin Harris poured in 26 points for the Nets.

New Jersey has lost 23 straight road games to Western Conference opponents.  Their last win was last Janary against the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Clippers are currently 1-9, in the middle of a five-game losing streak and trying to avoid their worst start in over a decade.  Los Angeles lost on Friday night in overtime to the Detroit Pistons who were led by Charlie Villanueva's 30 points.  Eric Gordon led the Clips with a season-high 28 points

Terrence Williams continues to be sidelined by an abdominal strain and will miss the game for the Nets while Chris Kaman (ankle) and Baron Davis (knee) will both be watching from the sidelines for the Clippers.