CHICAGO _ The new-look Nets are beginning to look like legitimate playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference. They won the kind of game they were supposed to win against the struggling Bulls, and they did it in impressive fashion with a dominant fourth-quarter performance on their way to a 117-100 victory Sunday afternoon at United Center.
The win, which was powered by a 29-18 fourth quarter, was the third straight and 12th in the past 15 games for the Nets, who evened their road record at 10-10 and reached the halfway point of the season with a 20-21 overall record that has them in seventh place in the East.
During their recent climb in the standings, the Nets have shown increased confidence when it comes to closing games, and it was on display against the Bulls when they opened the fourth quarter with a 16-5 run to gain a 104-87 lead with 6:26 to play. D'Angelo Russell and Shabazz Napier each scored five points during that span.
Russell topped the Nets with 28 points and five assists, DeMarre Carroll continued his hot streak with 20 points, Jarrett Allen was a force in the paint with 19, and Napier added 18. Once again, the Nets' bench dominated, outscoring the Bulls' 52-28. The Bulls' Zach LaVine had 27 points, Bobby Portis had 17 and Kris Dunn finished with 16.
During the Nets' previous win Friday in Memphis, coach Kenny Atkinson went with a new wrinkle to close the game, using a three-point guard lineup that included Russell, Spencer Dinwiddie and Napier. The Nets have good numbers with that small lineup and Atkinson promised to use it again against the Bulls.
"The more sample size we have, the more we'll be convinced," Atkinson said before the game. "It's still a little early, but I know they like it, too. It relieves the pressure from D'Angelo and it relieves the pressure from Spencer that they've got another guy out there.
"They've all played off the ball. So, it's not like, 'Hey, I need the ball.' D'Angelo went to the corner one time (in Memphis) and said, 'Shabazz, you run whatever play we were running.' In a short period of time, they have pretty good communication. I'm definitely intrigued by that trio."
Sure enough, that lineup clicked when Atkinson went to it toward the end of the first quarter against a Bulls team dedicated to playing hard-nosed defense and a slower pace designed to keep games closer. Even so, the Nets put together a 17-9 run spanning the first and second quarters to build a 34-22 lead. Russell and Napier each hit a pair of 3s during that stretch.
But the Bulls (10-30) began doing a better job of contesting 3-point shots, forcing six straight Nets misses, as they gradually worked their way back into the game. LaVine was especially tough, scoring 15 points in the second quarter to gain a halftime tie at 55.
The Nets scored the first seven points of the third quarter, but once again, their offense really got going with all three point guards on the floor. It was a five-point lead when Russell hit the first of three 3-pointers in a 13-6 surge to push the Nets' lead back to 12 at 79-67. Dinwiddie had a basket in that stretch, and Napier assisted on a Russell 3.
The Bulls also went small at that point with LaVine, Dunn and Ryan Arcidiacono to try and keep pace and sparked their offense to score on six straight possessions to trim the Nets' lead to 85-79, and the third quarter ended with the Nets clinging to an 88-82 lead.
