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Long Island had a very tall task before them Wednesday morning in Greensboro, as they had to match up with the G League’s best team, the Swarm, which is having as successful season as their parent, the Charlotte Hornets. Long Island entered this game winning three of their last five games, whereas Greensboro had won their last eight games. On the backs of Drake Powell and Malachi Smith, who combined for 51 points, Long Island snapped Greensboro’s winning streak, coming out with the win, 116-111.
When the Brooklyn Nets assigned Powell to Long Island earlier in the week, they did so with hopes of getting him minutes and time with the Long Island head coach, Mfon Udofia. Powell oozes potential, as Fernandez has said. but he was also in need of a stint in the G League to get him back on track. Following his 13-point performance on Sunday, Powell got all of that and then some on Thursday, as he finished with 21 points.
Powell had an electric shooting performance, hitting just over 56%, connecting on nine of his 16 tries. He also continued to improve his long ball shot, shooting three of five for 60%. Powell scored the first eight points of the game for Long Island, and that was only the beginning of it…
Powell’s impressive day didn’t stop in the score column. He also hauled in three rebounds, two of which were offensively, which was second on the team, and tallied two assists. He also had one block.
Alongside Powell’s 21 points, Malachi Smith picked up 30 points of his own. Smith flirted with his career-high on Sunday, just failed to match his 31-point career-high from earlier in the season. Still, the 6’4” 26-year-old couldn’t unhappy with this performance. Smith connected on nine of his 13 tries for 69%. He also shot the ball 75% from deep and 100% from the foul line on six tries.
To go along with his big shooting day, Smith also had six rebounds and six assists. Smith continues to show why he may be considered one of Long Island’s best all-around players. Not only does he shine as a scorer, but he also has shown his ability to be a playmaker, hauling in many rebounds and finding his teammates for great looks. Smith is everything you’d hope a point guard would be…. other than consistency in holding on to the ball. He had only one turnover Wednesday. Two days ago, he had seven.
Once again, Long Island had all three of the Brooklyn two-way players available which also marked the deadline for two-way contracts to be signed. It looks like there will be no changes for Brooklyn in terms of their three two-ways, as they will now more than likely finish the season with Chaney Johnson, EJ Liddell, and Tyson Etienne occupying those spots…
Johnson continues to be playing his best basketball of the season as of late, as he once again made a massive impact off the bench. Johnson had 17 points, connecting on eight of his 11 tries, including one-for-three from deep. Johnson once again proved to be a multi-faceted big man, hauling in seven rebounds, which was second on the team, and tallying four assists, which was also second on the team. The 23-year-old 6’8” forward also had two steals.
Liddell once again got the start on Thursday and showed exactly why that is. Liddell finished with 17 points, tied for third on the team. Liddell shot the ball a fair amount, connecting on seven of his 17 tries. However, he didn’t have his best game from deep as he only connected on one of his seven shots. Liddell also had nine rebounds, which led the team, and one assist.
The third two-way player on hand, Etienne, was lights out when it mattered the most. He connected on four of his nine shots, including going three-for-eight from deep. He finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal. It was an uncharacteristically quiet game for Etienne, but don’t let the stats fool you; he absolutely hit his shots when he needed to.
The Nets are now 17-11, fourth in the East, with six games left. G League Playoffs begin March 31.
Next Up
The Long Island Nets (17-11) return to the court on Friday night, March 6th, for a rematch with Terrell Brown Jr. and the NBA G League’s best team, the 19-7 Greensboro Swarm. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. EST and can be watched on the NBA G League official website.