The debut of Deron Williams wasn't enough for the New Jersey Nets, as they fell on the road to the San Antonio Spurs, 106-96 on Friday night. The Nets have now dropped four in a row.
Anthony Morrow led the way for New Jersey with 25 points off the bench, including three of five from beyond the arc. Williams started his Nets career with a double-double of 14 points and 12 assists, though he shot just five for 13 from the field.
Williams knows that the new-look Nets are going to take some time to gel.
"We're still getting accustomed to each other," the point guard said after the game.
Manu Ginobili scored a game-high 26 points for San Antonio, while George Hill added19 and Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair each had 17 to help the Spurs improve their league-best record to 48-10.
The Nets hung with the Spurs in the first two quarters, even pulling ahead at halftime 54-53 thanks to a 9-0 run. However, San Antonio put the game away with a 35-18 third quarter in which the Nets played a lot like they did before they added Williams.
New Jersey has now dropped 16 of their last 17 against San Antonio.
There isn't much time for the Nets to think about the loss, as they are right back in action Saturday against the Houston Rockets.