It was the crash that Avery Johnson hopes is heard around the NBA. With just over five minutes to play in the Nets’ 82-74 win over the Magic Sunday at the Barclays Center, Deron Williams rose up for a 3-pointer. With Magic guard E'Twuan Moore getting too close to him, Williams had no room to come down cleanly and crashed to the floor. He stayed down and grabbed his left ankle.
It left both Johnson and Williams scared and angry.
“The defense is moving under him a little bit more, he’s not getting level ground to come down. That’s something I know the officials will continue to evaluate,” Johnson said. “He’s not coming down clean enough on his shots, but I think he’s fine.”
Johnson said he was obviously extremely nervous as Williams, the point guard the Nets signed to a five-year, $98 million contract, stayed on the floor holding his ankle as play continued at the other end of the court. Williams said he felt a flash of pain initially, but he waited, slowly retied both his sneakers and it was gone. Williams, 28, walked with a slight limp after the fall, but finished the game.
He had 17 points and seven assists in 36 minutes.
Though he said the ankle felt “fine” after the game, Williams was clearly annoyed with the officials.
“I came down on the defender’s foot, that’s supposed to be a foul,” Williams said. “It’s a point of emphasis.”
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