Brooklyn Nets: Fans Witness Flatbush Win Seventh Straight

From the desk: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

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TUESDAY

Kings   118

Nets     127

FINAL

Bruce Brown Plays Big Man On Campus

Back home in Flatbush and playing in front of a limited number of fans for the first time in a long time, the surging Nets defeat visiting Sacramento by nine points, extending their winning streak to a season-high seven games.  The game also marks Brooklyn's second defeat of the Kings in the last eight days.

Kyrie Irving's 14 points spearhead the surging Nets to a 42-28 first-quarter lead, who then take a 72-66 lead into the half.  But the Kings close the gap and trail by just two points after three quarters.  

That's when Bruce Brown takes over.  Making his seventh straight start, Brown finishes the night tied for game-high with 29 points and 13 points coming in the final eight minutes of the game.  His layup-and-one at 7:43 gives the Nets a three-point lead.  Brown then nails a three at 3:56, then 23 seconds later drains a mid-range jumper.  He again follows with another three at the 3:05 mark and caps off Brooklyn's scoring with two free throws with 1:01 left in regulation.

With Kevin Durant missing his sixth straight game, James Harden and Kyrie Irving join forces on 50 points, and Joe Harris turns in another step-it-up performance.  Harden was 9/22 from the floor, including 5/10 from beyond three and 6/9 from the line to tie for a game-high 29 points.  The bearded one completes the triple-double with a game-high 14 assists and eleven rebounds (ten defensive) during a floor-high 41 minutes; it's his sixth triple-double since donning a Nets uniform.  Kyrie Irving goes 8/22 from the floor, including only 2/6 from three en route to a 21 point effort with seven assists, five boards, and three steals.  Joe Harris was an efficient 6/10 from the field and 5/9 from behind the arc as part of an 18 point performance.

The center of attention, DeAndre Jordan, was back in the starting lineup, posting ten points but more importantly getting to the line.  He secured eight rebounds and played effective defense with four blocks.  Jordan also played 34 minutes while managing four personal fouls, precisely what I want to see.

Long Island two-way Nicolas Claxton made his Nets debut with a field goal, and 3/4 from the line with one blocked shot in 14 minutes.  However, the rest of the bench managed just 15 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in a collective four-man 53 minutes effort. 

• ICYMI: What Happens in Flatbush Stays in Flatbush

The Philadelphia 76ers also defeated the Florida Raptors on Tuesday and thus retain a one-half game lead over the Nets for the Eastern Conference's top team.