"He floated an improvised, nifty alley-oop pass that Gerald Wallace threw down hard for a dunk. He swished a trio of three-pointers within a few minutes of each other. At one point, he pretended he had springs attached to his sneakers, pogo-sticking with a smile as he prepared to head downcourt to play defense.

Deron Williams was back practicing, and there was a noticeable pep in the step of the Nets' point guard after sitting out two days to maximize the effects of a cortisone shot he took to calm the inflammation in his left ankle.