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Nets stay hot by rallying past Suns

Jan 12, 2013 - 5:02 AM Brooklyn, NY (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson led five Brooklyn players in double figures with 19 points on 8-of-19 shooting as the Nets took care of the Phoenix Suns, 99-79, on Friday at Barclays Center.

Johnson was questionable to play due to illness, but he played through it and hit three 3-pointers while adding four rebounds and three assists.

MarShon Brooks added 17 points, while Andray Blatche contributed 15 and eight rebounds for Brooklyn, which has won five straight. Deron Williams scored 15 points and handed out six assists, and Brook Lopez rounded out Brooklyn's double-figure scorers with 13 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

"We kind of know what to expect. We have a little better feel for each other," Johnson said of his team's recent winning ways. "Earlier in the season, I don't think we really knew (what to expect), we were just out there playing."

Jared Dudley connected on all four of his 3-point attempts and finished with a team-high 18 points for the Suns, who have lost five in a row. Shannon Brown donated 15 points and Goran Dragic and Luis Scola finished with 12 points apiece in defeat.

Trailing 53-46 at halftime, the Nets used a 10-0 surge early in the third to take a one-point lead. Scola put his side up 60-56 with a layup, but CJ Watson answered with a jumper a bit later to tie the game at 60 with 4:25 to play in the quarter.

Brooklyn then closed the quarter with a 14-6 outburst to seize control of the game, and led 74-66 heading into the final period of play.

Phoenix did not score in the final quarter until Scola hit a jumper with 7:28 to play, which allowed the Nets to rip off 10 straight points for an 84-66 lead.

Brooklyn rolled the rest of the way, leading by as many as 22 en route to the win.

"We're struggling as a team, collectively," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I thought we did a good job in the first half, but we have to be able to put together 48 minutes."

Brooklyn jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead less than three minutes into the contest, but the Suns battled back with a 7-2 spurt to come within 10-9 with 6:13 to go in the first quarter.

It stayed a one-possession game until the visitors began to pull away a bit in the latter stages of the session. With the game tied 21-21, the Suns scored the final four points of the frame to take a 25-21 lead into the second 12 minutes.

The teams continued to trade blows in the second quarter until the Suns were able to open up some space late in the quarter.

Leading by one with 4:46 to go in the half, the Suns used a 15-5 surge, capped by a three-point play from Dragic, to go ahead by a 53-42 count with 1:21 to go. The Nets scored the final four points of the session, but trailed 53-46 at the break.

Game Notes

The Nets improved to 7-1 under interim head coach PJ Carlesimo ... Phoenix has lost 12 straight games away from home ... Nets forward Gerald Wallace left the game in the first quarter after absorbing a hard foul from PJ Tucker. Wallace was later diagnosed with bruised ribs and did not return ... Brooklyn is 18-5 this season when holding opponents under 100 points and 14-0 against teams that are below .500 ... The Nets have won three straight by 20 points or more for the first time since 1975, when the team was still part of the ABA ... Nets forward Kris Humphries did not play due to a sore left ankle ... Phoenix shot just 39.2 percent from the floor and 10-of-16 from the free throw line.