Douglas-Roberts wanted to take over, but he remembered something he heard at the beginning of the week. It was sound advice from someone he trusts and admires, Vince Carter.

"We talked the first day, talked a lot," Douglas-Roberts said. "He said you have to police yourself sometimes. He said he policed himself a lot in his career and that's what I have to do. And that is what I'm learning."

So while feeling in his gut he could take the ball and score, or at least get to the line, Douglas-Roberts accepted the role on the split Nets /Sixers squad that was asked of him in the last two games, including yesterday's 83-62 wipeout loss to Oklahoma City.

"The first two games I played really well. The last two, the game was going in a different direction," said Douglas-Roberts, who has worked tirelessly this off-season on his shooting and ball-handling. "The first two games, we were running things that put me in a position to be aggressive. Simple as that."

Not so the next two.

"I always say I'm not going to force anything," he said. "The last two games, the game wasn't coming to me so I was pretty much following directions, doing what the coach and the team wants."

You know, policing himself, like Carter advised.

"I've a year experience, but with Vince Carter helping me out, that probably gave me about two years worth of experience," Douglas-Roberts said.

*

Terrence Williams had his second straight 6-of-13 shooting game after going a combined 4-of-19 in first two games. He led Nets /Sixers with 14 points. . . . Douglas-Roberts on Williams: "I like him. I think he's going to grow into a versatile guy in the NBA. He's not a one-dimensional player. He's a guy who can do a lot of different things on the floor and takes pride in his passing, which is a lost art in this league."