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Sloppy Nets visit soaring Rockets

Nov 29, 2013 - 3:20 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd is $50,000 lighter in the pocket after the NBA fined him for spilling a drink on the floor during the waning seconds of Wednesday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kidd and the Nets will try to clean up their act when they visit the Houston Rockets Friday at the Toyota Center.

With 8.3 seconds remaining and Brooklyn without a timeout, guard Tyshawn Taylor bumped into the first-year coach and Kidd spilled his beverage on the floor, forcing officials to stop the game and giving the Nets a chance to draw up a 3-point attempt trailing 97-94.

Paul Pierce then missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer and the Lakers scored two more points for the final margin.

"Sweaty palms," Kidd said after the game. "I was never good with the ball."

Actually Kidd was one of the best point guards during his playing days and his team trailed by as many as 27 points before making a comeback versus the Lakers. The Nets tied the game at 92-92.

Joe Johnson scored 18 points, Mirza Teletovic had a career-high 17 and both Andray Blatche and Alan Anderson netted 14 for Brooklyn, losers in six of seven games and owners of a disappointing 4-11 record.

Pierce had 12 points on 4-of-17 shooting.

"It's frustrating when the ball doesn't go your way, but eventually I know these shots throughout the course of 82 games are going to fall for me," Pierce said.

The Nets are 2-7 on the road and will also visit Memphis on the quick trip.

Houston has won three in a row and six of seven games, and recorded a 113-84 victory versus Atlanta on Wednesday. Francisco Garcia and Aaron Brooks both scored 21 points off the bench for the Rockets, who have won three in a row without injured guard James Harden (sore foot).

The Rockets got 11 points and eight rebounds from Dwight Howard and made 55.1 percent from the floor. Houston also scored 24 points on 18 Atlanta turnovers.

Harden is questionable for Friday's game and so is guard Jeremy Lin. Lin left Wednesday's win over the Hawks with a right knee contusion. Rockets coach Kevin McHale said X-rays were negative.

"I think what happened is that he got hit right on the nerve so he pinched a nerve and his leg just kind of went numb and he couldn't push off on it," said McHale. "I don't know. I sure hope he gets a lot better by tomorrow but he said he can walk. I guess we'll see."

Brooklyn knows a thing or two about injuries, as center Brook Lopez (ankle) and guards Jason Terry (knee) and Deron Williams (ankle) are listed as questionable against the Rockets.

The Rockets have won five in a row at home and are 7-2 overall in Space City. They have owned the Nets in recent years, having won 13 straight meetings and 16 of the last 17 encounters between the teams.

Houston is unbeaten in six straight at home in this series.