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 They also got a first win in Utah for a couple of old Jazz guys.
All-Star guard Joe Johnson scored 27 points, backup center Andray
Blatche added 25 and the Nets rallied to beat the Utah Jazz 105-99
on Wednesday at EnergySolutions Arena.
Former Jazz point guard Deron Williams finished with 19 points and
seven assists as he won for the first time in three visits to his
old NBA home. This was also the first time ex-Utah player Andrei
Kirilenko won since leaving the Jazz in 2011.
"Being on the road against a team that's playing extremely well, the
defense got us back in the game and then our bench was big," Nets
coach Jason Kidd said. "Everybody chipped in to get this win
tonight."
Well, everybody that remains with the team.
The Nets (25-27) played short-handed after making a trade earlier in
the day with Sacramento. Brooklyn sent guard Jason Terry and forward
Reggie Evans to the Kings in exchange for guard Marcus Thornton.
"Marcus is a proven scorer in this league," Nets general manager
Billy King said in a statement. "He is a young talent who will help
us in the backcourt."
Kidd wouldn't be surprised if Brooklyn owner Mikhail Prokhorov pulls
off another trade before Thursday's 3 p.m. (ET) deadline.
"He's probably not done," Kidd said. "So we'll see what happens."
Backup guard Alec Burks scored 23 points to lead Utah, and center
Enes Kanter, starting for injured Derrick Favors, contributed a
double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Jazz point guard Trey Burke added 14 points and 10 assists in his
first matchup with Williams. Burke was sidelined with a broken
finger during Utah's loss in Brooklyn on Nov. 5.
But the Jazz, now 0-7 with Favors sidelined, dropped to 19-34. The
loss snapped the three-game winning streak Utah had going before the
All-Star break.
Utah had beaten the Nets three times in a row at home.
"We all think this is a game we could have won," Burke said. "We
just have to learn from it."
The Nets are now 1-1 on their seven-game road trip, which has them
away from Barclays Center until March 3 because of a circus. This
win snapped a three-game road losing streak.
"This is a crucial part of the season for us. We have to be mentally
focused for this trip," Williams said. "Coming straight of the
All-Star break, going on the road for two weeks, it's not an easy
task. (We) started it off good."
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Johnson hit 10 of 16 shots and went 4 of 7 from beyond the arc four
days after struggling in the NBA's 3-Point Contest during All-Star
Weekend.
"My first win at EnergySolutions on the opposite team," Kirilenko
said. "It's always tough to play against (the) Jazz in this
building. ... But I think we matched the energy."
Burke tied the game at 84 with a jumper with 6:54 remaining in the
game after the Nets turned a 13-point deficit into their own
six-point lead in the second half.
Guard Shaun Livingston hit a jumper and forward Mirza Teletovic
drained a 3-pointer to give the Nets an 89-84 lead just 54 seconds
later.
The Nets stretched their lead to 10 when Williams sank a three just
a moment after writhing on the court in pain after getting
inadvertently smacked in the head by Burks' elbow while going after
a loose ball.
Brooklyn trailed 68-55 in the third quarter, but consecutive
3-pointers by Blatche and Johnson sparked a 20-4 run that resulted
in the Nets taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
"I thought defensively they were the aggressive team in the second
half," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "They got their hands on us a
little bit and got us out of our offense. We lost our rhythm there.
They pushed us out on the floor a little more than we needed to be."
Utah stretched its 28-21, first-quarter lead to 12 points in the
second quarter before the Nets narrowed the gap. Jazz forward Marvin
Williams hit three free throws with 0.1 second remaining after being
fouled by Pierce on a 3-point attempt. That put Utah up 56-48 at
halftime.
NOTES: Nets coach Jason Kidd doesn't believe the trade will
negatively affect his relationship with G Jason Terry, his former
teammate in Dallas. "Our friendship is bigger than basketball. (We)
understand the business," Kidd said. "Jason was a professional here
and he helped on the court and a lot off, so I wish the best to him
and his family." ... Nets G Deron Williams was drafted third overall
by the Jazz in 2005 and played in Utah until being traded to New
Jersey in February 2011. Fair or not, he received blame for playing
a key role in Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan stepping down two weeks
before he was traded. Williams spoke highly of Sloan, who was
recently honored by the Jazz in a banner-raising ceremony at
EnergySolutions Arena. "He is definitely deserving of the honor. He
is one of the best coaches to ever do it. I had a great 5 1/2 years
playing for him. I learned a lot from him, a lot of toughness." ...
Jazz F Jeremy Evans grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds.
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