Caris LeVert steps up with 29 points as Nets defeat Suns

The Nets played their 49th game on Monday night and their 29th without Kyrie Irving. You’d think they’d be used to it by now.

But losing Irving again — this time for at least a week with a right knee sprain — required another adjustment by the players and coach Kenny Atkinson.

On Monday against the Phoenix Suns, Atkinson promoted Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie to the starting lineup.

LeVert was brilliant in his first start since his return on Jan. 4 from a nearly two-month absence because of thumb surgery. He scored a career high-tying 29 points as the Nets beat the Suns, 119-97, at Barclays Center.

LeVert shot 10-for-20 overall, 2-for-4 from three-point range and 7-for-7 from the line. He also had a season-high seven assists.

“It’s always good to see the ball go in,” he said. “Get to the line, knock down some free throws. Hopefully we can use this momentum to carry into the next game.”

Joe Harris scored 16 points, Taurean Prince 15 and Dinwiddie 14. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 13 off the bench as the Nets (22-27) won for the third time in four games.

“It was one of our better wins of the year just on both sides of the ball,” Atkinson said. “I thought we were good defensively and really shared it offensively.”

Deandre Ayton led the Suns (20-30) with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Devin Booker, who torched the Nets for 27 points in November and was averaging 27.2 this season, was held to 11 points and shot 3-for-15.

The Nets needed LeVert to build up fast from the 22 minutes he was averaging in his previous five games. He played 32 on Monday.

“Great timing,” Atkinson said. “We needed it, especially with Ky going out. We needed it. He did it on both ends — to Devin Booker. Defense was excellent and offensively really, really carried us. So great timing there.”

LeVert, who scored 29 on Nov. 2, 2018, against Houston, hadn’t reached 20 points since Jan. 7.

He scored nine points late in the first quarter and the Nets went into the second with a 35-31 lead.

“I just feel like I was aggressive,” LeVert said. “Obviously, I played a little more minutes tonight with some guys being out, so it was good getting out there and playing.”

Early scoring hasn’t been a problem: The Nets scored more than 30 points in the first quarter for the fourth straight game and also went into halftime with a lead (55-52) for the fourth straight game.

LeVert scored 11 in the third quarter as the Nets took command by outscoring the Suns 35-21. He ended the quarter by watching a pretty runner rim in and out with three-tenths of a second left. But he was fouled, and the two successful free throws gave him 23 points and sent the Nets into the fourth quarter with a 90-73 advantage.

The Nets faced the Suns on Nov. 10 in Phoenix and allowed their most points to date in a 138-112 defeat. LeVert injured his thumb in that game.

The Nets began the night holding the seventh playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. When that was brought up to Atkinson, he quickly brushed it off.

“We really need to finish this stretch before the All-Star break on a positive note and with positive momentum,” he said. “I think that is vital. I’ve told the guys that. And then we can start talking after the All-Star break what that all looks like.

“But, man, we are battling to improve, battling to find some consistency. I think that’s what we’re looking for right now. I think if we do that, we’ll be fine, but we have a long way to go and we have to, quite honestly, play better, especially in this last stretch before the break.”

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.