Starters Combine For 72, Grant Nelson Flirts With Double-double In Li Win

The Long Island Nets returned home court Monday night for a game vs. Motor City Cruise. The game got underway at 7:00 p.m. EST, and early on, it looked as if it wasn’t going to be Long Island’s night. the Nets found themselves down by 16 points, but ultimately they came back to win it, 112-106.

After going down early, the Nets dominated the offensive glass in the third and picked up five steals to take an 83-80 lead over the Pistons G League team going into the final frame. Long Island closed out the win by shooting 88.9 percent (8-for-9) from the line in the fourth and going on a 14-5 run to snap Motor City’s five-game win streak…

The Nets trailed by as many as 16 points, marking the largest comeback win of the season for Long Island and the team’s first comeback from a deficit of at least 15 points since a 16-point comeback win over Motor City on March 22, 2025. The Nets G League affiliate’s record is now 9-6, good enough for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Long Island starters combined for 72 points with two vets, Nets two-way Tyson Etienne (22) and Long Island signee Malachi Smith (23) leading the way.

Grant Nelson has now started six straight games after returning from a seven-week rehab of a balky knee. He once again played a solid all-around game despite still being on a minutes restriction, The 23-year-old 7-footer played a little less than 20 minutes, his high since returning and flirted with a double-double, yet again. He shot the ball well, connecting on four of his eight attempts, as well as making two-of-three from the foul stripe, the last of which sealed the win…

Nelson finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, which was a team best, as well as block and two assists. In his six starts, Nelson is averaging 28.9 points and 12.9 rebounds as well as 1.4 blocks, per 36 minutes. He’s also hitting 67% of his shots overall and 88% from the stripe. Although he shot nearly 30% from three in 160 college games, he’s only attempted two deep shots since returning although one of his four field goals Monday night was on the line.

.A small sample no doubt, but a growing one. No word yet on when the Nets might remove the restrictions, but the near 20 minutes he played Monday is the most he’s played in those starts.

E.J. Liddell, one of the Nets current two-ways along with Etienne and Chaney Johnson, remained with Brooklyn on the West Coast.. With the trade deadline just about 10 days away, Brooklyn could elevate one of their two-way players to a standard NBA deal if one opens up or waive the player from their NBA roster while retaining the players G League rights.

Malachi Smith, the 6’4” combo guard who was Liddell’s high school teammate once again got the start Friday with Brooklyn rookie PG Ben Saraf, also with the big club. Smith reminded Long Island exactly why the started him in the first place. He led the team in scoring with 23 points. Smith shot the ball very well, as he connected on eight of his 14 shots, including going four of six from three-point land.

Smith also contributed in other ways, as picked up four assists. That’s become an area where the 6’4” 24-year-old’s game has he’s exceled, getting s his teammates involved, particularly now with Saraf and Nolan Traore in Brooklyn.

Etienne, was second on the team in scoring in this one. After having a rough few performances shooting the ball, the 6’0” 26-year-old Etienne landed six of his 14 shots, six of 13 from deep, for a total of 22 points. Etienne also hauled in four rebounds and a team-high seven assists. This also marked Etienne’s 11th game with at least five makes from long range since joining the Nets, the second-most such games in franchise history.

Small forward Nate Williams, who turns 27 next month, looked to be more on his game in this one, tallying 16 points. Williams shot the ball well, hitting on six of his 14 shots. He also had three rebounds, four assists, and two steals. When Williams is on his game, he looks like one of the best on the court. Tonight, fortunately for Williams, was one of those nights. It was 13th consecutive game getting into double-digits in the points category. The 6’7” Sag Harbor native has the most NBA experience on Long Island, having played 47 games.

Rounding out the starting five, the Nets third two-way Chaney Johnson made his presence felt in this one. The 6’7’ 3-and-D prospect, youngest player on Long Island’s roster, got into the double digits in scoring, picking up 10 points. However, Johnson had a bit of a lackluster day shooting the ball. He connected on just three of his 10 tries, including going 1-of-4 from deep. But he had five rebounds, two assists, and one block to his credit…

Where Johnson excelled was as a ball hawk in this one. The 6’7” 23-year-old picked up a team-leading and game-leading four steals. It also marked a career-high.

The Long Island bench was quiet in this one, but was headlined by Tre Scott, who picked up 10 points, becoming the sixth and final player this game to get into the double-digit mark. He also had five rebounds to his credit. David Muoka also tallied six points and seven rebounds off the bench. Alex Schumacher, a 6’3” shooting guard signed last week, had eight points. Muoka (Hong Kong) and Schumacher (Switzerland) are the team’s two international players.

Next Up

The Long Island Nets (9-6) return to their home court on Wednesday, January 28th, as they once again face off with the Motor City Cruise. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on ESPN+ and the Gotham Sports app.

• Boxscore: Long Island Nets 112, Motor City Cruise 106 – G League
• Game Highlights: Long Island Nets 112, Motor City Cruise 106 (Video) – G League