Brook Lopez’s 23 points lead Nets over Suns
Brook Lopez #11 of the Brooklyn Nets puts up a shot in the first half against Eric Bledsoe #2 of the Phoenix Suns at Barclays Center on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 in Brooklyn, New York. Credit: Jim McIsaac
You know that deep well the Nets fell into with their 0-7 start this season? They still have a long ways to go to climb out of it, but they can see a little daylight after winning consecutive games for the first time this season with an impressive fourth-quarter comeback for a 94-91 victory over Phoenix last night at Barclays Center.
The Nets (5-13) overcame a nine-point deficit and held the high-scoring Suns to 18 fourth-quarter points, including 3-for-12 shooting from the field in the final 10-plus minutes. With four seconds left, the Suns (8-10) had a chance to set up for a tying three-pointer, but Brandon Knight turned the ball over under pressure from Jarrett Jack.
“They did a great job of switching, everybody was on top playing the three-point line and we kept them from even getting the shot off,” Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. “We just got after them.
They kept coming and making threes, and we kept fighting them off and slowing them down and getting the lead back. I thought our bench did a great job. They had 35 points.”
Reserves Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington provided a timely lift, totaling 11 points in an 18-4 run that gave the Nets a 90-85 lead. Brook Lopez led the Nets with 23 points, Jack and Larkin each had 11 points and eight assists, and Ellington added 11 points. Knight topped the Suns with 26 and backcourt partner Eric Bledsoe added 17.
“I left Shane in there,” Hollins said of the stretch run. “It was about matchups, trying to find one guy that could play Bledsoe and the other guy that could play Brandon Knight.”
Hollins planned to pair Larkin and Jack, but Hollins started the final quarter with Ellington and Larkin and left them in when it clicked. As Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said, “We had a lead and Lionel went with Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington, and it hurt us. . . Brooklyn made the comeback and we couldn’t score in the fourth quarter.”
The Nets may have a 1-10 road record, but they now have won four straight at home. This was the first of 20 games they will play there in December and January, so, the chance is there to make headway. “Now that we are back home, I think we are very comfortable in that situation,” Lopez said. “Hopefully, we’ll see the environment continue to grow and turn in our favor . . . as we fill out those seats and get more people rooting for us.”
That can happen if the Nets continue to play strong defense. They have held their past three opponents to 91 or fewer points. “We’re winning games because we’re playing defense,” Larkin said. “Coach reminded us of that on the bench in a timeout with six minutes left. He said, ‘We’re not going to win by outscoring them. We’re going to win this game by getting stops.’ So we really focused in on the defensive end and got the stops we needed to get the win.”
Next up for the Nets is a road trip across the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan to face the Knicks on Friday night.
“There’s going to be some extra built-up energy and anxiousness going into the game, but it’s just another game,” said Larkin, who was a Knick last season. “It’s not like I have a huge history there. Everybody loves playing in the Garden, so it’s going to be fun.”
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
