Dillon Brooks poured in 27 points and Devin Booker added 23 as the Phoenix Suns held off a late surge to beat the Brooklyn Nets 126-117 on Monday night.
Collin Gillespie scored 22 points, Grayson Allen chipped in 14 off the bench and Mark Williams finished with 16 points and eight rebounds for Phoenix, which has won five of its last seven games. The Suns were efficient all night, shooting 57% from the field and 51% from 3-point range while knocking down 20 triples.
Phoenix appeared in full control early, building a lead as large as 20 points in the first half and stretching the advantage to 17 with just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn made it interesting late, however, ripping off a 19-6 run capped by Noah Clowney’s three-point play that cut the deficit to 118-114 with 4:01 left.
Brooks answered with a timely 3-pointer, though he was assessed a technical foul after making contact with Michael Porter Jr. Clowney converted the free throw, but the Nets couldn’t close the gap any further. Grayson Allen then found Royce O’Neal for a wide-open 3 from the wing, pushing the lead back to nine and sealing the win.
Porter led Brooklyn with 23 points as the Nets continued to struggle, losing for the ninth time in 11 games in January. Clowney added 16 points and Ziaire Williams had 15 off the bench. Brooklyn rested rookie guard Egor Demin and Cam Thomas on the second night of a back-to-back, while Day’Ron Sharpe sat out with an illness.
Up next:
The Suns continue their road trip in Philadelphia on Tuesday, while the Nets head across town to face the Knicks on Wednesday.
