x

USA

Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges Carry Nets Past Rockets, 123-114 (Highlights)

NEW YORK — Cam Johnson had 31 points, Mikal Bridges scored 12 of his 27 in the fourth quarter and the Brooklyn Nets rallied to beat the Houston Rockets 123-114 on Wednesday night.

Johnson and Bridges came over together from Phoenix in the trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns. Durant finally made his home debut for Phoenix on Wednesday night.

Nic Claxton added 18 points and 10 rebounds for Brooklyn, and Spencer Dinwiddie had 20 points and 11 assists. The Nets had 33 assists on 44 baskets and won for the second time in three games to snap a four-game home losing streak. The victory, coupled with the Miami Heat’s loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, boosted the Nets’ lead to 1 1./2 games over Miami for the No. 6 spot in the East.

“We (have) six games left, They’re all super-important for us,” Johnson said. “There’s no excuse for how we played the first 40 minutes of the game, but we were able to clean it up and come out of it with a win.”

Kevin Porter Jr. had 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists for Houston, and Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 12 rebounds. The Rockets have lost seven in a row.

“After being on the road for nine days, for them to come out and show the grit and fight they did, that shows the character of this group,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said. “It shows they’re still competing, they’re still fighting, they’re still trying to do what’s right.”

Houston outrebounded Brooklyn 52-41 and was on the verge of dealing the Nets a blow to their playoff chances with a 110-105 lead with 3:05 left.

“(Porter) was making plays for himself, making plays for his teammates,” Silas said. “Him and (Sengun) had a real connection going. I thought (Sengun) was great on the offensive glass.”

But Brooklyn roared back with an 11-0 run and closed the game by outscoring the Rockets 18-4. Brooklyn made nine fourth-quarter 3-pointers, with Johnson and forward Royce O’Neale each knocking down three and Bridges hitting two from deep.

“We feed off each other, we feed off the crowd,” O’Neale said. “We trust each other to keep knocking them down.”

“We made shots, and it gave us a little bit of steam, a little bit of momentum,” Johnson said.

TIP INS

Rockets: Forward Jae’Sean Tate (knee) missed his sixth straight game.

Nets: Guards Edmond Sumner (right hip contusion) and Seth Curry (personal) and O’Neale returned to the lineup after missing the previous game in Orlando. Curry also missed Brooklyn’s victory Saturday in Miami.

UP NEXT

Rockets: Host Detroit on Friday night.

Nets: Host Atlanta on Friday night.

 

RELATED

Top Stories

Columnists

A pregnant woman was driving in the HOV lane near Dallas.

General News

NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.

Video

A Palestinian Baby in Gaza is Born an Orphan in an Urgent Cesarean Section after an Israeli Strike

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Sabreen Jouda came into the world seconds after her mother left it.

PHOENIX — An Arizona grand jury has indicted former Donald Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani along with 16 others in an election interference case.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Police peacefully arrested student protesters at the University of Southern California on Wednesday, hours after police at a Texas university violently detained dozens in the latest clashes between law enforcement and those protesting the Israel-Hamas war on campuses nationwide.

ATHENS, Greece — A far-right Greek lawmaker has been charged with criminal assault for allegedly punching a colleague on the sidelines of a parliamentary debate Wednesday.

Enter your email address to subscribe

Provide your email address to subscribe. For e.g. [email protected]

You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in our newsletter.