HAPPY RETURNS
Former Suns dealt for KD lead way for Nets in first game back in Phoenix
PHOENIX — Facing Kevin Durant for the first time since he forced a trade out of Brooklyn, the Nets got an impressive road win Wednesday. And the centerpieces they got back — Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson — played a huge part in the victory.
The Nets pulled out a 116-112 win before a sellout crowd of 17,071 at Footprint Center, spoiling the debut of the Suns’ Big 3 with some great fourth-quarter defense.
Bridges had 21 points while Johnson added 15 and five rebounds on 3 of 6 shooting from 3-point range. Cam Thomas had a team-high 24, including 10 in a fourth quarter in which the Nets outscored the Suns by six, and took the lead for good.
“Just sticking with the game plan and continue to trust in it, and everybody had each other’s back we were able to pull up out the win,” said Johnson.
Brooklyn won for the seventh time in nine games, handing the Suns a loss in the first game Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal played together. The Nets are familiar with a Durant-led Big 3, with their trio of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden collapsing completely when Durant forced a trade in February.
Durant had 27 points and six boards, while Devin Booker had 34 points and a dozen assists. But the Nets held Phoenix to 37.5 percent shooting — 2 of 9 from deep — in the fourth quarter to win.
“You continue to make it tough on them, continue to make it tough on them, and you know, pressure them, give them different looks kind, change the speed, change the looks we’re giving them. The name of the game was just to make it hard,” said Johnson.
“It was good. We needed that one bad too, just losing the last game [in Sacramento]. So definitely great to get one in here,” said Bridges, who shrugged off being bloodied by former teammate Booker. “It definitely was good to get a win. Like I said, our team, we needed that one. Yeah, just this was fun to be back out here playing on this court, you know, in front of fans, so you get to see me, you know, again, you know, it was pretty once a year so just excited to come back and just play in front of everybody.”
The so-called Twins — who helped the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals — were honored with a pregame video and spent time greeting young fans afterwards.
“I was trying to tell all the fans is I’m OK. I’m OK,” said Johnson. “They act like I got sent to away, sent to away juvie or something. I tell them we’re doing all right.”
Durant’s free throw gave Phoenix a 22-18 lead, but Brooklyn responded with a huge 19-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters.
Bridges struggled for much of the night, but his one hot spell sparked the streak, with eight quick points. And Johnson’s 3-pointer padded the lead to 37-22 just 47 seconds into the second period.
Brooklyn (13-10) saw the lead cut to 64-56 at halftime, and lost it altogether in the third.
Phoenix (13-11) scored eight unanswered to surge ahead 85-78 by the time Dinwiddie finally snaked inside to score a layup.
Still down 88-84 in the waning moments of the period, the Nets mounted a 7-0 run that spanned the quarters. Thomas’ 3-pointer put them ahead 91-88, and they never trailed again.
Nasir Little’s 3-pointer briefly pulled Phoenix into a tie, but another Thomas 3 and a Dorian Finney-Smith layup pushed the lead to five.
The closing moments were nervy, and the Suns had several chances to tie. But clinging to a three-point cushion that was tenuous at best, Spencer Dinwiddie drilled a clutch 3-pointer for a 112106 edge with 1:54 to play.
Dinwiddie (16 points, eight boards, seven assists) added a layup on the Nets’ next offensive possession.
Phoenix got within 114-112 with 28 seconds left, but Thomas sank two foul shots to seal the win in Bridges and Johnson’s return to Phoenix.
“I thought they were exceptional,” Jacque Vaughn said of Bridges and Johnson. “This is could be a tough game to play, because the emotions. They probably saw friends and family and people who love them; but you have to do your job. And they both were really locked in and they didn’t press. … They were making the right plays. And when your intent is good, usually good things happen.”