NBA Game Summary - Phoenix at Brooklyn
(Friday, January 11th)
Final Score: Brooklyn 99, Phoenix 79
Brooklyn, NY (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson led five Brooklyn players in
double figures with 19 points on 8-of-19 shooting as the Nets took care of
the Phoenix Suns, 99-79, on Friday at Barclays Center.
Johnson was questionable to play due to illness, but he played through it
and hit three 3-pointers while adding four rebounds and three assists.
MarShon Brooks added 17 points, while Andray Blatche contributed 15 and eight
rebounds for Brooklyn, which has won five straight. Deron Williams scored 15
points and handed out six assists, and Brook Lopez rounded out Brooklyn's
double-figure scorers with 13 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
"We kind of know what to expect. We have a little better feel for each other,"
Johnson said of his team's recent winning ways. "Earlier in the season, I
don't think we really knew (what to expect), we were just out there playing."
Jared Dudley connected on all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with a
team-high 18 points for the Suns, who have lost five in a row. Shannon Brown
donated 15 points and Goran Dragic and Luis Scola finished with 12 points
apiece in defeat.
Trailing 53-46 at halftime, the Nets used a 10-0 surge early in the third to
take a one-point lead. Scola put his side up 60-56 with a layup, but CJ Watson
answered with a jumper a bit later to tie the game at 60 with 4:25 to play in
the quarter.
Brooklyn then closed the quarter with a 14-6 outburst to seize control of the
game, and led 74-66 heading into the final period of play.
Phoenix did not score in the final quarter until Scola hit a jumper with 7:28
to play, which allowed the Nets to rip off 10 straight points for an 84-66
lead.
Brooklyn rolled the rest of the way, leading by as many as 22 en route to the
win.
"We're struggling as a team, collectively," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I
thought we did a good job in the first half, but we have to be able to put
together 48 minutes."
Brooklyn jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead less than three minutes into the
contest, but the Suns battled back with a 7-2 spurt to come within 10-9 with
6:13 to go in the first quarter.
It stayed a one-possession game until the visitors began to pull away a bit in
the latter stages of the session. With the game tied 21-21, the Suns scored
the final four points of the frame to take a 25-21 lead into the second 12
minutes.
The teams continued to trade blows in the second quarter until the Suns were
able to open up some space late in the quarter.
Leading by one with 4:46 to go in the half, the Suns used a 15-5 surge, capped
by a three-point play from Dragic, to go ahead by a 53-42 count with 1:21 to
go. The Nets scored the final four points of the session, but trailed 53-46 at
the break.
Game Notes
The Nets improved to 7-1 under interim head coach PJ Carlesimo ... Phoenix has
lost 12 straight games away from home ... Nets forward Gerald Wallace left the
game in the first quarter after absorbing a hard foul from PJ Tucker. Wallace
was later diagnosed with bruised ribs and did not return ... Brooklyn is 18-5
this season when holding opponents under 100 points and 14-0 against teams
that are below .500 ... The Nets have won three straight by 20 points or more
for the first time since 1975, when the team was still part of the ABA ...
Nets forward Kris Humphries did not play due to a sore left ankle ... Phoenix
shot just 39.2 percent from the floor and 10-of-16 from the free throw line.
01/12 00:01:32 ET

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