The Brooklyn Nets got their four-game road trip off to a solid start with a 104-82 win in Phoenix over the Suns.
It was the second straight win for the Nets, following a similar template to Sunday's win over Philadelphia. The Nets took a 10-point halftime lead and never really let the Suns back into it. A Phoenix run to within five points in the third quarter was quickly flipped back into a double-digit Brooklyn lead that the Nets steadily expanded in the final quarter.
The Nets got another star turn from Caris LeVert with his game-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range. LeVert came into the game averaging 20.0 points, and this was his fourth game of 26 points or more in Brooklyn's 11 games. The third-year guard grabbed five rebounds as well.
D'Angelo Russell had 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals against zero turnovers. Over Brooklyn's last five games, Russell has turned it over just six times. Spencer Dinwiddie came off the bench to fill up the box score similarly with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Joe Harris overcame an uncharacteristic off night from the 3-point line to still finish with 11 points, Jarrett Allen had 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Ed Davis grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds with nine points.
Brooklyn turned in another solid defensive effort as well, limiting the Suns to 35-percent shooting (28-81) and forcing 20 turnovers with nine steals, two nights after getting 28 turnovers on 11 steals from the Sixers. The 82 points were the fewest the Nets had allowed this season.
Down 22-19 late in the first quarter, the Nets put together a 16-6 run that extended into the second quarter with mostly second units on the floor for both teams. Davis and Allen Crabbe had five points each for Brooklyn in the surge. A 13-4 stretch in the second quarter gave the Nets their biggest lead of the half, 50-36.
Back-to-back Phoenix 3-pointers from Mikal Bridges and Trevor Ariza in the final minute of the half cut into Brooklyn's lead before Russell's two free throws sent the Nets into the break with a 52-42 lead. The Nets built that lead despite shooting 3-for-16 from 3-point range in the first half. But they did have 28 points in the paint in the first 24 minutes, the second game in a row they struggled from beyond the arc early but took a lead on the strength of scoring in the paint.
Back up by 14 midway through the third quarter, the Nets saw Phoenix close the deficit with a 9-0 run. But Jared Dudley knocked down a top-of-the-key three coming out of a timeout and Allen ran the floor for a transition dunk to push the lead back to double digits.
The Nets took that 10-point lead into the fourth quarter, which Dinwiddie opened up with a pair of drives. Threes from Dinwiddie and Harris kept the Nets up 14 and in control midway through the quarter.
ARIZONA HOMECOMINGS
Dudley played the last two and seven of his 12 NBA seasons for the Suns. During his initial stint from 2008-09 through 2012-13, Dudley helped the Suns to a Western Conference finals trip in 2009-10 and established most of his career statistical highs during that stretch.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson starred at the University of Arizona for two seasons, helping lead the Wildcats to two NCAA Tournament Regional Finals and the 2015 Pac-12 Tournament title. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, and as a sophomore was honored on the First Team All-Pac-12, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team, Pac-12 All-Tournament Team and NCAA Tournament West Region All-Tournament Team.
UP NEXT
The Nets have two days off before a brutal back-to-back — at 9-1 Denver on Friday and at 10-1 Golden State on Saturday. They wrap up the four-game trip in Minnesota on Monday.