Kerry Kittles scored 16 of his 18 points in the third quarter as the Nets moved 12 games over .500 with a 108-89 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
New Jersey pulled away in the second half to post its third straight win and moved three games ahead of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the East.
The team with the best record at the break sends its coach to the All-Star Game. New Jersey has 11 games remaining, including seven at Continental Airlines Arena.
 Lucious Harris had a rough night from the floor, hitting just three of 10 shots, but the Nets rolled anyway. Noren Trotman /NBAE/Getty Images |
"It was a good win for our guys," Scott said. "I didn't think we were playing with fire in the first half. That is what I told them at halftime. We were letting them do whatever they wanted offensively and we really soft.
"I think our guys did a heck of a job in the second half defending and rebounding, and Kerry got extremely hot. After that, it was all over."
Kittles, who missed all of last season following knee surgery, scored 5.4 points above his season average. The Nets are 13-1 when he scored 15 points or more.
"I've been working hard on my game and just trying to get my rhythm back," Kittles said. "After being out for a while, you just want to come back to the gym against the best guys in the world. I just consider myself working hard at the gym and now it's just paying off and I'm making shots."
"I think he has exceeded mine and everyone's expectations in the organization," Scott said. "He has had some gritty performances with ankle problems, especially in the last week. He has played extremely well all season and he seems to be getting better and better."
The Clippers (18-18) also have been one of the league's biggest surprises this season, but they have not been able to solve their road woes. Los Angeles dropped to 0-3 on its six-game road swing and fell to 2-11 overall away from the Staples Center.
"Our energy right now isn't where it should be as a team," forward Lamar Odom. "It's been showing up in the scores. It's just the way we lost this game. When you play hard and you lose, it doesn't matter. But we didn't play up to our ability tonight."
The Clippers pulled within 60-59 on a 3-pointer by Eric Piatkowski with 10:10 left in the third period, but New Jersey took control with an 8-0 run, opening a 68-59 lead on Kittles' 3-pointer with 8:24 left in the period.
Todd MacCulloch added 17 points for the Nets, who stretched their lead to 85-72 after the third period and led by as many as 21 in the final quarter.
After trailing, 58-52, at the intermission, Los Angeles scored just 37 points in the second half. Odom led the Clippers with 14.
"I don't want to take anything away from the Nets," Los Angeles coach Alvin Gentry said. "They are playing great. We as a team are not playing anywhere like I thought we would on this trip. We are not playing with the intensity that I like to see us play with."
The Nets surpassed the century mark despite getting only eight points from leading scorer Keith Van Horn. Jason Kidd scored only seven points but dished out 11 assists and grabbed nine rebounds.
Keynon Martin returned to the lineup after serving a two-game suspension and contributed 12 points for the Nets.
A balanced attack has been one of the keys for the Nets and it was again Thursday as six players reached double figures. Richard Jefferson scored 13 points and fellow rookie Jason Collins and Aaron Williams added 12 apiece.
"We've been executing our offense very well," MacCulloch said. "We just didn't play very good defense in the first half. We let them shoot over 50 percent and we let the Heat shoot over 50 percent (in the last game), so we have to tighten the defense a little bit, but our offense is really coming together."
The Nets dominated the boards with a 52-35 advantage and shot 50 percent (44-of-88) from the field while holding the Clippers to 43 percent (36-of-83).
"We have a group of guys that love to play with each other and love to have fun," Kidd said. "When the job is fun, a lot of good things can happen."
Los Angeles jumped to a 10-4 lead on Odom's jumper with 9:05 left in the first quarter, but the Nets grabbed the lead for good, 16-15, on Martin's jumper with 5:07 to play in the opening period.
Elton Brand collected 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Clippers while Michael Olowokandi contributed 12 and 10.
Los Angeles matched a season high with its fourth three-game losing streak.