Ej Liddell Dominates, But Long Island Loses And Roster Math Becomes Focus

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL - FEBRUARY 5: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #12 of the Windy City Bulls and Grant Nelson #22 of the Long Island Nets battle for tip off at the start of the game on February 5, 2026 at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Long Island Nets returned to the court on Friday night for their second of a back-to-back against the Windy City Bulls. With the NBA Trade Deadline having come and gone and Brooklyn having made most of their moves already, there have been no changes at the Long Island level … at least not yet.

The three two-way players – EJ Liddell, Tyson Etienne, & Chaney Johnson – remained with Long Island, while Grant Nelson, wh0 seems a leading candidate for a two-way opening, was out due to injury management. Nelson, the 7-footer for Alabama, has been back 10 games now from his seven-week rehab from an knee injury.

Of course, they weren’t just waiting and wondering the day after the deadline. Long Island lost to Windy City, 133-127 at the Nova Arena in suburban Chicago.

EJ Liddell certainly helped his case. He had about as dominant a game as you’d expect from him, putting up 32 points. He connected on 10 of his 20 shots, including 4-of-8 from deep. This marked his second consecutive game Liddell has registered 30+ points. Liddell also tallied 30 in Thursday’s matinee game against Windy City.

Scoring, though, was just part of his performance… leading to exthusiastism.

Liddell also brought in another double-double, as he hauled in 10 rebounds. He tallied two assists and was a solid playmaker for Long Island. Liddell also showed himself to be a very physical player in this one, as he also picked up two massive blocks. The blocking aspect has quickly become one of Liddell’s very best traits, and could ultimately be the difference maker in him getting elevated to a standard deal.

It’s expected that a decision will be made fairly soon regarding the open spot on Brooklyn’s roster. One possibility is that Liddell gets elevated to a standard NBA deal, and Grant Nelson takes Liddell’s two-way spot. Both Nelson and Liddell have been playing very well as of late.

Brooklyn is not limited in what it can do. They don’t have to elevate a Long Islander. It’s been their custom in the past years to do so but they can sign any free agent including those waived by other teams post-deadline. They can sign eligible G League players. They have in the past waived two-way players around this time to add someone new but then had them continue on a regular G League contract.

Brooklyn plays at 3:00 p.m. ET Saturday vs. Washington at Barclays Center while Long Island will be traveling to Montreal where they’ll play Saturday in Montreal.

Malachi Smith, who played and won and Illinois state championship with Liddell in high school, continued his strong play. The 6’4” combo guard was second on the team in scoring, with 17 points, connecting on 7 of his 11 shots. Smith once again got very close to a triple-double, as he hauled in nine rebounds and tallied eight assists.

The numbers Smith has been putting up have shown he’s a very all-around player. Howeverhe had one big blemish in this one. Smith had an issue in this game, ball protection. He turned the ball over four times.

Nate Williams is a name we’ve heard thrown around as of late as a prime candidate for a two-way deal, whether in Brooklyn or elsewhere. Williams continued his impressive play as of late, tallying 16 points in this one. However, shooting was a big issue for Williams. He connected on just five of his 18 shots and missed all seven from deep.

However, it wasn’t all bad for Williams. He hauled in seven rebounds and tallied three assists without a turnover. It’s not going to make a difference that one bad shooting performance like this will ultimately put Nelson over Williams as to who should get the two-way spot. However, it’s going to come down to who you want more. A younger gun, or a more experienced NBA-ready player?

The second Brooklyn two-way player on hand, Tyson Etienne, tallied zero points in the first half of this one, but finished the game with 15 points, really coming alive in the third. He shot the ball 50%, and connected on four of nine from deep. Etienne had a rebound and a steal to his credit. The starters were rounded out by Tre Scott, who picked up 16 points.

The third, and final, Brooklyn two-way player in this one, Chaney Johnson, came off the bench and had a very mixed bag of a game. He picked up 12 points, which led the bench. However, shooting the ball, he connected on just two of his seven shots. Johnson also had five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. So there’s that. David Muoka etched himself in franchise history as he became the all-time franchise leader in blocks with 74, passing Kamari Murphy.

The start of the contest saw Windy City shooting just 36% from the field, allowing Long Island to jump out to an 11-point lead to end the first frame. Poor shooting then came after the Nets in the second and allowed the Bulls to cut the deficit to just two going into halftime. The third was taken over by Brooklyn Nets two-way guard Tyson Etienne who sunk four threes and stacked up 15 points to put Long Island up by double-digits again.

Rallying back in the fourth, Chicago Bulls two-way guard and the NBA’s shortest player, 5’7” Yuki Kawamura put up 11 points to help Windy City get back into the matchup. Off an assist from Kawamura, Windy City rookie guard Caleb Grill drilled a three for the lead then hit another triple to put the Bulls up by four. Marc McClung, the dunk champion recently signed by the Bulls, converted on a driving layup and Windy City forward Mouhamadou Gueye punctuated the win with an alley-oop slam.

Next Up

The Long Island Nets (11-8) return to the court on Sunday, February 8th, as they head up north to their second home, Montreal, Canada, for their second of two homestands at Place Bell, in Laval, QC. They will face off with Noblesville Boom. The game tips off at 1:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on the NBA G League site and the Gotham Sports app.

• Boxscore: Windy City Bulls 133, Long Island Nets 127 – G League
• Game Highlights: Windy City Bulls 133, Long Island Nets 127 (Video) – G League