NEW YORK _ It was the cruelest of endings for the Nets. Two nights after being on the wrong end of a 25-2 run in a loss to the Nuggets, the Nets put together a 23-2 run to wipe out an 18-point third-quarter deficit against the Suns, and they appeared on the verge of a remarkable comeback.
But the visitors pulled off a terrible Halloween trick by overcoming an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to send the Nets to their third straight loss by a 122-114 count Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Nets put together another 11-1 streak to take their biggest lead at 106-98. But that's where their momentum was broken. TJ Warren scored eight points in an 18-2 run that gave the Suns a 116-108 lead with 2:02 left, and they cruised home from there.
Devin Booker topped the Suns (3-4) with 30 points, Mike James had 24 and Warren finished with 20. The Suns dominated the boards, 66-44. D'Angelo Russell led the Nets (3-5) with 33 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 21, Spencer Dinwiddie had 15, DeMarre Carroll scored 13, and Caris LeVert totaled 11. The Nets made only nine of 31 3-point attempts.
Coming off two straight ugly losses to the Knicks and Nuggets, the Nets' early-season optimism was in danger of dissipating, and with a five-game West Coast road trip looming, they desperately needed a win over the Suns. But after firing coach Earl Watson and replacing him with Jay Triano, Phoenix arrived on an uptick after winning two of three.
Asked about the importance of winning at home before the road trip, Carroll said, "Very, very, very important. You need it to feel good about yourself before going on this road trip. Winning on the road is hard. So, we've got to try to get this one and take it from there."
But the combination of poor shooting and lax defense that hurt them in the previous two losses continued to bother the Nets. They trailed by as much as 10 points in the first half and allowed the Suns to shoot 48.9 percent on their way to a 59-53 halftime lead. The Nets only managed to shoot 40.8 percent, and that was thanks to Russell, who made seven of 10 shots in a 20-point first half.
Last season, the third quarter often was the Nets' undoing, and it appeared that narrative might take hold again as the Suns opened with a 24-14 run, including 11 points from Booker, to push their lead to 18 points. But the Nets responded with a 6-0 burst to cut the deficit to 83-71.
Then, Kenny Atkinson brought in his second unit, and they really got into the Suns on defense. Suddenly, that 6-0 surge turned into an extended 23-2 run as the Nets gained an 88-85 lead on back-to-back threes by Dinwiddie before the Suns scored the final basket of the quarter to make it a one-point game.
