The Nets (1-7) finally managed to win a game, defeating the Rockets (4-4) 106-98 at Toyota Center on Wednesday.
Brooklyn outscored Houston 25-17 in the fourth quarter en route to its first win of the season. The unsung hero of the night was Bojan Bogdanovic, who scored a team-high 22 points (10-20 FG, 2-5 3Pt) in 34 minutes off the bench. The Rockets went cold from the field in the fourth after shooting the lights out for the entire contest. James Harden had an off night, struggling from beyond the arc (3-10) and failing to get to the line enough (4-5).
The Nets woes from downtown had been documented thoroughly up until tonight when they finally posted a solid percentage from distance (47.1 percent, 8-17). Brook Lopez (foot) had a tough time dealing with Dwight Howard in the paint, but came alive late in the game to finish with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. It was his fourth double-double of the season. Joe Johnson turned into a distributor for the night, dishing out 10 assists while adding 16 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field.
Rockets coach Kevin McHale rode his starters in this one, as nobody off the bench played more than 16 minutes (Terrence Jones). Howard has needed to rest after every couple of games, but it's almost made him more effective when he does play. The all-star center posted 20 points (10-16 FG, 0-2 FT) while ripping down 17 rebounds and blocking five shots over 37 minutes. Marcus Thornton also chipped in 21 points, hitting three from beyond the arc with seven assists and four steals.
Brooklyn will head to Sacramento Friday to face the Kings in the third game of a four-game road trip; Houston will try and bounce back against the Nuggets in Denver.
