Nets beat Suns 94-91 for 4th straight home victory
Dec 1, 2015, 8:32 PM
1 / 7 Brooklyn Nets forward Thomas Robinson (41) defends as Phoenix Suns forward Jon Leuer looks to shoot in the first half of an NBA basketball game at the Barclays Center, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
NEW YORK — Brook Lopez scored 23 points and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Phoenix Suns 94-91 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight home victory.
Brooklyn reserves Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington each had 11 points and both made a basket in the brief flurry that helped the Nets win consecutive games for the first time this season. Jarrett Jack also scored 11 and added eight assists.
Brandon Knight scored 26 points and Eric Bledsoe had 17 for the Suns, who had a long dry spell from the field in the fourth quarter after leading by nine earlier in the period, then botched their final possession trailing by three with 4 seconds remaining.
The Suns fell to 1-1 on their six-game road trip.
Lopez made all five shots and scored 11 points when the Nets built a big second-quarter lead, and they outplayed the Suns down the stretch.
Larkin broke an 85-all tie with a drive to the basket with 4:08 left, Ellington added a layup in transition and Lopez made a free throw for a 90-85 advantage. The Suns got it down to three, but Alex Len missed from close range, and after they got the ball back a final time, they couldn’t even get a shot off after inbounding in the frontcourt.
The Nets led by 11 at halftime and were still up 54-44 early in the third before Knight led the Suns on a 16-2 spurt that gave them a 62-56 advantage. Bledsoe beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer to end the period and send Phoenix to the fourth leading 73-70.
TIP-INS
Suns: Tyson Chandler missed his second straight game after straining his right hamstring against Golden State on Friday. … Mirza Teletovic scored 12 in his return to Brooklyn, where he played the previous three seasons. Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said the forward from Bosnia has been playing better after a slow start following a preseason illness that hindered his conditioning. Teletovic was 6 for 7 from 3-point range Sunday in Toronto.
Nets: Reserve Andrea Bargnani sat out with a left hamstring injury. Coach Lionel Hollins said he had no timetable for the Italian center, who was hurt Sunday against Detroit. … Starting forward Thaddeus Young shot 3 of 14, though he made a jumper with 1:03 left to put the Nets up five.
BOXERS AT BARCLAYS
Boxers Daniel Jacobs and Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin announced the Nets’ starting lineups. They face each other Saturday at Barclays Center in a middleweight championship bout. Retired champion Floyd Mayweather, who is friends with Bledsoe, watched from a courtside seat and laughed when he was shown on the overhead videoboard and booed.
UP NEXT
Suns: At Detroit on Wednesday.
Nets: At New York on Friday.
