The Long Island Nets returned to their home court on Tuesday night for their second-to-last home game of the season. They faced off with their crosstown rivals in a close game that turned very chippy at the end. Despite Hunter Cattoor and Dre Davis combining for nearly 50 points and tempers flaring late in the fourth quarter, Long Island fell to Westchester, 114-104.
This game got very interesting with just under six minutes left in the fourth quarter. While Hunter Cattoor was dribbling the ball up the court, Westchester’s Nick Jourdain gave Cattoor a hard bump down to the floor. When Cattoor regained his whereabouts after hitting the deck he immediately tried to find Jourdain and exchange words.
This drew his Nets teammates to hold him back and separate the two players. The fight started when Jourdain threw a ball down on top of Cattoor, hitting him in the groin. Cattoor took exception to that. A Westchester assistant coach then got involved, jawing back with one of the Long Island players, which led head coach Mfon Udofia and the Long Island assistants to go right back at them.
This led to the benches clearing and a small delay on the court, with coaches and players needing to be separated. Following this whole debacle, two technical fouls were issued to each team. For Long Island, Alex Schumacher and assistant coach Jorge Gutierrez, and for Westchester, Nick Jourdain and an assistant coach. Who doesn’t love a good ol’ Nets-Knicks rivalry game on the G-League level?
Following the scuffle, Cattoor went off on the court making Westchester pay every chance they could get. The 25-year-old 6’3” shooting guard had a career night in Long Island’s loss. Following a career-high of 21 points, Cattoor notched 25 points on Tuesday night for a new career-high. He connected on eight of his 12 shots, including going five-for-eight from deep.
Cattoor also had a very complete game for Long Island. Not only did he lead the team in scoring, but he also recorded three rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block to his credit.
Long Island’s second top scorer in this one, Dre Davis, picked up 24 points, one point less than his career-high. He connected on 10 of his 20 shots for 50%, including going one-for-three from deep. He also had seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block. After the game, NetsDaily caught up with Davis to talk about his performance.
“Just trying to take every game moving forward,” Davis tells ND. “Continue to get better. Continue to grow. Continue to show up for every game. Especially with the playoffs coming. Just trying to continue to be the best Long Island Nets team that we can be.”
When asked about Long Island making the playoffs, Davis told ND, “Definitely excited.” He continued, “It’s my first year in the G League, so my first year being here, and to get this experience postseason, it’s always good to play postseason. Good opportunity, time to take advantage.”
As the G League regular season winds down, the NBA Summer League quickly approaches. When asked about potentially playing for Brooklyn in the Summer League and if he’s spoken to anyone yet, Davis told ND, “No, I’ve just been focusing on right now. Taking it a day at a time. Try not to get too high, too low, or look too far into the future.”
Looking ahead for Davis, he has one goal in mind: “continue to be the best version of myself every day, no matter what’s going on, just continue to grow every day.”
Outside of Cattoor and Davis, the next top scorer for Long Island came from the bench. Alex Schumacher played perhaps one of his best games as a Long Island Net, connecting on seven of his 15 tries, including going two-for-six from deep for 18 points. Schumacher also hauled in four rebounds, tallied six assists, and picked up two steals.
The only other Long Island player to get into the double-digits in scoring in this one was David Muoka, who once again got the start at center. He shot the ball 60%, connecting on six of his 10 tries, for 12 points. Muoka also hauled in eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Except for Cattoor, Davis, and Muoka, the Long Island starters didn’t get much else accomplished.
Javon Freeman-Liberty had a tough game, maybe his toughest in a Long Island uniform since joining the squad. He connected on just three of his 12 tries, including missing all four of his tries from deep. Freeman-Liberty also brought in five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. After the game, Freeman-Liberty spoke with ND about his uncharacteristic performance.
“We have a quick turnaround tomorrow,” Freeman-Liberty tells ND. “Let this one go right now and then get ready for tomorrow’s game.”
While he remains one of Long Island’s newest members, he could be a valuable asset for them in the playoffs. When asked about the post-season, Freeman-Liberty told ND, “I had a good mindset. I was happy for those guys. Working hard and getting to where they were. Of course, I wasn’t a part of that, but now that I’m a part of it, I’m excited for those guys, and I’m congratulating them all around. We’re just going to take the momentum and hope to try and win it all.”
Freeman-Liberty also spoke about learning under head coach Mfon Udofia, who has a knack for developing tons of young talent, including many that we see in the NBA today, such as Killian Hayes, Drew Timme, Noah Clowney, Day’Ron Sharpe and others. Freeman-Liberty told ND, “I’ve known him for a long time.” He continues, “I’ve played against him since I’ve been a pro. He’s a great guy, a great coach, and an even better person. I’m just happy to be here with him and for him to just help me.”
Looking ahead for Freeman-Liberty, as the season winds down, he kept his goals short and sweet. “Just keep getting better each and every day,” Freeman-Liberty tells ND. “Stack days and get what I put out. … I’m just being the vet, I guess you could say, being around the G-League for a minute.”
While Freeman-Liberty had an uncharacteristic game, Terry Roberts had a flat-out bad one. A mere couple of days after flirting with a triple-double, Roberts took a step back. He looked off his game from the very beginning, connecting none of his eight shot attempts. He also had a team-leading four turnovers. Roberts bright spots in this game came as he hauled in four rebounds and finished with four assists, while also having a block credited to him.
Neither team led by more than five points in the opening frame and the score was tied at 25 entering the second. Long Island went on a 15-4 run from 2:16 in the first to 11:08 in the second before Westchester responded with a 21-9 run from in the second. The Nets finished the first half down 55-46 despite holding the Knicks to 27.8% percent (5-of-18) from long range.
Westchester took control with a 13-4 run in the third, but the Nets battled back with a 14-6 spurt from 6:03 to 2:08 in the third while forcing seven turnovers to cut the deficit to single digits entering the fourth, 86-78. Long Island connected on 50 percent (9-for-18) of the team’s field-goal attempts in the fourth, but Westchester held on for a 114-104 victory.
After dropping their fifth straight game, the Long Island Nets (18-16) return to the court on Wednesday night for a quick turnaround against the Delaware Blue Coats. Long Island looks to right the ship in a quick turnaround in its final home game of the regular season. Long Island has already secured its spot in the playoffs. The game tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST and can be watched on ESPN+ and the Gotham Sports app.
Boxscore: Westchester Knicks 114, Long Island Nets 104 - G League
Game Highlights: Westchester Knicks 114, Long Island Nets 104 (Video) - G League