NEW YORK—Coming off their first win of the season, the Nets were poised to double down on that success, leading the Knicks 61-53 at halftime Sunday by shooting .578 and forcing nine turnovers. But Larry Hughes exploded for 16 points in the third quarter as the Knicks stifled the Nets with a zone, outscoring them 33-18 and finishing the quarter up seven. Staving off any attempt at a comeback in the fourth, the Knicks beat the Nets at Madison Square Garden, 106-97.

"Our guys came, we did exactly what we wanted to and the Knicks countered very well," said Nets interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe. "Larry Hughes played exceptionally well and I think Al Harrington is a tough matchup for us. I was proud of the way our guys competed. This is a learning lesson for us. A learning lesson on starting a game well, keeping it going, keeping your composure and finishing games. And those are the lessons we need to learn. These are all good things. Nobody likes to lose any games, no question about it. But you find purpose for good, and tomorrow you go and work on it."

The Nets built up their halftime lead behind an attacking offense led by Devin Harris, who put up 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Slicing and spinning through the lane for around-the-world layups and banked runners, Harris seems fully recovered from the strained groin that kept him sidelined for 10 games. The only element of his All-Star offensive repetoire that remains missing is the soft jumper that inevitably follows his stepback dribble, so quick defenders have yet to come up with a counter that doesn't involve clasped hands.

Harris' first-half turn was supported by 12 points from Brook Lopez (19 total) and Chris-Douglas-Roberts (team-high 26), the latter of whom also tied his season-high with four assists. Keyon Dooling even dropped nine in four second-quarter minutes, hitting three jumpers (two pullup) and a corner three.

But the Nets' offense proved too reliant on the jump shot. When the Knicks committed more fully to zone defense in the second half, the ball movement began to react rather than attack. As Larry Hughes reeled off 14 of 18 Knick points in the first 7 minutes of the third, Douglas-Roberts desperately attempted to keep pace, scoring the Nets' first eight points on three pullup jumpers and a layup following a spin move.

The Knicks tied the game three times before Hughes assisted a Chris Duhon three to give them their first lead since the early second quarter. And Douglas-Roberts answered right back with a three of his own, just beating the 24-second buzzer from the left wing. But they managed only five points in the final 4:16, and the Knicks kept going, building the lead to seven by the start of the fourth.

"It's a game of runs," Lee said. "We knew they were going come out in the second half and go on a run. We just had to have enough poise and keep our composure and go back at them. We did for the first part of it, but then we started making mental errors and little turnovers here and there, and stopped making the right plays. That caught up with us."

In the fourth, Lee showed why he'd earned a reputation for stellar defense in Orlando. The Nets chipped at the Knicks' lead, drawing within three (93-90) with 7 1/2 minutes to play after Lee drove for a finger roll. Back on defense, Lee marked Al Harrington (game-high 26 points) and played the Knicks' forward so superbly he blocked a pullup jumper. Josh Boone (7 boards, 2 blocks) corralled the rebound and sent the Nets upcourt, but the possession ended with Douglas-Roberts missing a jumper.

That began a game-ending stretch of futility, encompassing seven points, 2-of-8 shooting and five turnovers – two bad passes, two offensive fouls and a double-dribbling violation. The Knicks extended the lead to 10 before settling on a final margin of nine. Unable to solve the zone on this day, the Nets know they'll be seeing more of it in the future.

"The way we attack in transition, that's our Achilles' heel right now," Harris said. "We'll work at it, we'll get better at it (and) we'll be ready to attack it the next time we'll see it."

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