Brooks back but rust shows

--Rookie guard MarShon Brooks earned his place back in the Nets' starting lineup, one game after returning to action after missing six games due to a broken right pinky toe.

But Nets head coach Avery Johnson could tell that Brooks is nowhere near the player he was before he got hurt.

"MarShon is really rusty," Johnson said. "He was messing with the ball too much. Because of the schedule, these games are like practices. We don't have the time to get a guy rehabbing. He has to play right away."

--Spurs guard Manu Ginobili returned to action Saturday night after missing the last six weeks with a broken hand. Ginobili played 17 minutes off the bench and scored eight points.

"He's a big part of their system," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "He's an All-Star player and a gritty player. He's very tough. When he and (Tony) Parker are out there together, they're very tough. They know how to play together."

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We just have to do a better job. Our body language has to be different and that begins with me. I have to be a professional." -- Forward Shawne Williams, who is mired in a deep shooting slump.

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