NJ Nets continue losing ways vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, but remain confident ... - New York Daily News

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Russell Westbrook, who scored 21 points, flies past Nets' Kris Humpries for the reverse layup.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER 84, NEW JERSEY NETS 74

Deron Williams can’t crack the cold and uncomfortable Rock, so he’s waiting for a better home in Brooklyn.

After another horrendous shooting night for himself and the Nets in Newark, Williams expressed displeasure with the team’s stopgap home court at the Prudential Center, essentially calling it inadequate for basketball.

“I don’t like this arena one bit. It’s a good thing it’s not our arena next year,” he said matter-of-factly after shooting 5-of-18 in an 84-74 loss to the Thunder Saturday night. “Even last year, it just doesn’t feel like our home arena, I don’t know why.”

“It just doesn’t have good visual. The depth perception is not there.”

The Nets (4-12, 1-5 at home), who are scheduled to move to the $1 billion Barclays Center next season, shot a paltry 31% overall, and just 3-of-23 from beyond the arc â€" leaving the team with a 38% shooting percentage at home and 43% on the road.

Part of the problem, as previously explained by Williams, is “it just doesn’t feel like a basketball arena” because of the design and sightlines.

Shooting guard Anthony Morrow echoed the criticism, which certainly isn’t what the city of Newark or Devils owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek want to hear as they attempt to move an NBA team into the arena after the Nets leave.

“There is something about this arena, because it was made for hockey, not basketball,” said Morrow. “As a shooter I notice a lot of stuff. It’s cold. The background is way different. It’s like six miles back.”

Before Williams took shots at the Rock, Avery Johnson said he plans to have the team shoot around at the arena the morning of games â€" deviating from the Nets’ normal routine of shooting at their practice facility in East Rutherford.

The idea is to get accustomed to their home, and it worked when the Nets shot at the Rock before Wednesday’s 107-100 victory over the Warriors.

“It’s just a familiarity (thing). For me, we always shot at our home arena in Utah. The more you shoot there, the more it feels like your home arena,” Williams said.

DeShawn Stevenson shot just 2-of-6 Saturday night, but declined to blame the struggles on the arena. The Thunder, led by Kevin Durant (20 points, 15 rebounds) and Russell Westbrook (21 points), shot 42%. Opponents are shooting 49% at the Rock.

“I haven’t got used to shooting here, but anybody could say that’s an excuse,” Stevenson said. “We’re passing the ball to the right shooters and at the same time we haven’t been home a lot. Hopefully we can get a rhythm here where guys are making shots. Away games, we make shots. At home, it’s a struggle. We have to be more focused and hopefully we get more home games where we make more shots.”