Nets at Suns Recap: The Struggle

The Nets traveled to Phoenix for the second game of a back-to-back after blowing a game to the Clippers. With Joe Johnson missing tonight's game with a quad contusion, the Nets had to battle and got the win, beating the Suns 102-100.

The first half started off oddly for the Nets. They had opened up a 10-4 lead to start the first, but immediately allowed Phoenix to go on a 10-0 run and take the lead. The pace was extremely fast, which has evidence in TWO Nets alley-oops. It seemed like almost everyone was having trouble sinking shots, but the scoring was well spread out for the Nets. The only players for the Nets that didn't score in the half were Joe Johnson, Jerry Stackhouse, and Mirza Teletovic. None of them saw a single second of playing time in the half. Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries led the Nets to a 55-43 lead at halftime, each putting up 12 points. Gerald Wallace carried over his play from last night to tonight, putting up eight points in the half.

The second half was a typical Nets second half. The defense disappeared and so did the offense as the Suns came back from what was once a 16 point deficit. They out-scored the Nets 33-20 in the third quarter and made it anybodies game. The Nets, thanks in large part to the lack of defense from MarShon Brooks, allowed Wesley Johnson to put up 20 second half points. In the fourth quarter, it became a back-and-forth effort, but the Nets eventually came out on top thanks to a clutch fourth quarter performance by C.J. Watson. It wasn't easy though, as Goran Dragic went off with a huge 31 point, 12 assist, nine rebound game. He made anything the Nets did tough and carried the Suns through the game.

Brook Lopez was the Nets' leading scorer with 21. Deron Williams added 20 points and 11 assists. Kris Humphries came off the bench and scored 17 points while also grabbing eight rebounds. C.J. Watson added 14 points. Gerald Wallace contributed nine points and eight rebounds to the winning effort.

Final Score: 102-100 Nets
Most Disappointing Stat of The Game: 25 offensive rebounds for Phoenix
Most Promising Stat of The Game: 17 points in 27 minutes for Kris Humphries
Scariest Moment of The Game: Phoenix deleting the Nets 16 point lead and taking the lead.
Best Moment of The Game: NETS ALLEY-OOP!! 

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