The New Jersey Nets' struggles on the road played a major role in them missing the playoffs for a second consecutive season. A visit to Madison Square Garden might help them end 2008-09 on a positive note.
The Nets look to continue their road dominance of the lowly New York Knicks on Wednesday night in the season finale for both teams.New Jersey is 15-25 on the road, going 5-21 since the end of December. The Nets (34-47) are on a five-game skid away from home which contributed to them falling out of playoff contention.
Their last road win came only eight miles from the Izod Center, 115-89 over New York (31-50) on March 18.
New Jersey, which dropped a season-high six road games in a row from Dec. 31-Jan. 23, is 13-3 in its last 16 visits to MSG.
The Nets are looking to carry some strong play at home onto the road after beating Charlotte 91-87 on Monday, two nights after a 103-93 victory over Southeast Division champion Orlando.
"We just wanted to win the game," Nets swingman Vince Carter said Monday.
Carter's status for Wednesday, though, is uncertain after he played most of the fourth quarter against Charlotte with a sprained right big toe. He finished with 17 points, six rebounds, five assists and a season-high four blocked shots after scoring 27 and dishing out nine assists against the Magic.
"Coach (Lawrence Frank) asked me three or four times if I wanted to come out," Carter said. "I wasn't coming out. If I had taken my shoe off I would not have been able to return."
Carter, second on the team with 20.8 points per game, has been a key reason for the Nets' success at New York, averaging 25.0 points in helping them go 8-1 in the last nine visits. He had 29 points on 11-for-16 shooting March 18.
The Knicks secured a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division for the second consecutive season and the third time in the last four after allowing Dwyane Wade to score a career-high 55 in falling 122-105 at Miami on Sunday.
New York hasn't finished above .500 since the 2000-01 season and last qualified for the playoffs in 2004, when it was swept by New Jersey in the first round.
The Knicks are struggling at the end of the season, losing 13 of their last 16. That stretch includes a 1-6 mark at home in which they've been outscored by an average of 12.3 points.
Despite that poor play, Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler are producing.
Harrington, who had 21 points against the Heat, is averaging 24.3 over the last four games. He leads the Knicks with 20.9 points per game after being acquired from Golden State for Jamal Crawford on Nov. 21.
Chandler is averaging 23.0 points over the last four. The swingman, however, managed only 12 points on 6-for-19 shooting in the last meeting with the Nets, while Harrington scored 21.
