The Nets (16-22), previously losers of five straight games, welcomed the Houston Rockets (27-11), winners of three straight, to the Barclays Center for the first and last time this season. Brooklyn wasn't able to hang around with one of the western conference's best teams, and they fell to the Rockets for their sixth straight loss.
The game started off as a back-and-forth effort, as both teams were scoring at a high rate early. Houston made all of their first seven attempts, while the Nets made seven of their first eight. Houston led the Nets 37-28 at the end of the first quarter thanks to five made three pointers by the Rockets. The Nets shot
Things got testy early in the first quarter when Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard got into a scuffle, which included Garnett throwing the ball at and head-butting Howard, and Howard throwing an open hand at Garnett. Garnett was ejected, and Howard received a technical foul.
The Rockets' scoring slowed down in the second quarter thanks to a more aggressive Nets defense. The Nets were able to draw closer, and trailed by just two at one point in the second quarter, but a late run by Houston put them back up by eight late in the second quarter. James Harden led Houston with 20 points in the half as the Rockets led the Nets 60-52 at halftime.
Houston got off to a hot start in the third, pulling ahead of the Nets by 18. Brooklyn just couldn't find a way to contain James Harden, as he was having his way with anyone the Nets threw at him. On the other side, it was Mason Plumlee who was giving Houston problems, with 20 points and seven rebounds through three quarters.
Houston continued firing on all cylinders in the fourth. Their lead was extended to 23, and they just continued knocking down three pointer after three pointer. Jason Terry, Josh Smith, and Donatas Motiejunas all killed the Nets in garbage time, combining for 37 points and 15 rebounds. The Nets were able to cut into the Houston lead, but not enough to make it a game.
The Rockets were led by James Harden, who finished with 30 points in 30 minutes, as well as six assists. Brooklyn was able to keep Dwight Howard quiet as he finished with just eight points and five rebounds. For the Nets, they were led by Mason Plumlee's 24 points and 10 rebounds. Brook Lopez added 12 points and six rebounds in just 24 minutes off the bench.
Final Score: 113-99, Rockets
Most Disappointing Stat of the Game: Nets allowing 16 Houston three pointersPromising Stat of the Game: None
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