James Harden amassed 38 points with 11 assists and Joe Harris added 22 as the short-handed Brooklyn Nets rallied from a 24-point deficit to earn a 128-124 road victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Jeff Green scored 18 points off the bench for Brooklyn and Tyler Johnson added 17 in his first start of the season on Tuesday, February 16 (Wednesday, February 17, Philippine time).
The Nets, who were playing without both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, won their fourth straight game. Irving was nursing a sore lower back, while Durant missed his second consecutive game with a mild hamstring injury.
Chris Paul scored 17 of his 29 points in the final quarter and Devin Booker added 22 with 7 assists as the Phoenix Suns saw their season-best winning streak end at 6 games.
The Suns led the entire game until the Nets took their first lead on a Harden three-pointer with 31.4 seconds remaining.
The game marked the return of first-year Nets head coach Steve Nash to Phoenix, where he earned MVP honors in 2005 and 2006. The Suns increased capacity from 1,500 fans to 3,000 for the occasion.
Despite trailing 73-49 late in the 2nd quarter, the Nets pulled within two points at 108-106 with 6:40 remaining after a three-pointer by Johnson.
Green got the Nets to within one point at 124-123 with 59.6 seconds remaining on a drive to the basket and a layup.
After the Suns’ Mikal Bridges missed a three-point attempt with 39.5 seconds remaining, Harden made a triple at the other end to give the Nets their first lead at 126-124. Harden added two free throws with 11.3 seconds remaining.
Playing for the second time in two nights after a victory at Sacramento on Monday, the Nets struggled to keep pace with the Suns early.
Phoenix led 20-10 just over 5 minutes into the game and made 9 of their first 13 shots. They ended up taking a 33-22 lead at the end of the opening period.
The Suns increased the pace in the 2nd quarter, outscoring Brooklyn 42-32 in the period to take a 75-54 lead at the half. Booker had 18 points in the first half, while the Suns shot 63.6% from the field.
The Nets pulled off the victory by outscoring Phoenix 40-24 in the 4th quarter and scoring 65% in the final period.
Deandre Ayton scored 16 points for the Suns while Jae Crowder added 15. – Rappler.com
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