Nets blow out Suns
LeVert starts, ties career best with 29 as Brooklyn hands Phoenix 3rd straight loss
San Pasqual at Anthem Prep, 6 p.m. Kofa at San Luis, 7 p.m. Gila Ridge at Buckeye, 7 p.m. Yuma High at Youngker, 7 p.m. YC at Horizon Honors, 7 p.m.
S. Pasqual at Anthem Prep, 4:30 p.m. YC at Horizon Honors, 5:30 p.m. San Luis at Kofa, 7 p.m. Buckeye at Gila Ridge, 7 p.m. Youngker at Yuma High, 7 p.m.
NEW YORK — With Kyrie Irving sidelined, Caris LeVert picked the perfect time to deliver his best game of the season.
LeVert tied his career high with 29 points in his first start in nearly three months, helping the Brooklyn Nets overcome the absence of their leading scorer to beat the Phoenix Suns 119-97 on Monday night.
“It was like the old Caris, how dynamic he was and athletic and moving great,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said.
LeVert snapped out of a slump on offense and played a key role in a strong defensive effort that limited Suns star Devin Booker to 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting.
“They did a good job of taking me out,” Booker said. “Face guarding the whole game. Switching our matchups. So, it’s one of those nights.”
Joe Harris added 16 points and Taurean Prince had 11 of his 15 in the decisive third quarter for the Nets, who will be without Irving at least for this week after he sprained his right knee Saturday at Washington.
So Spencer Dinwiddie went back into the starting
PHOENIX SUNS FORWARD KELLY OUBRE JR.
lineup at point guard and LeVert made his first start since Nov. 10. After that, he had right thumb surgery and missed the next 24 games.
A starter in the first nine games of the season, LeVert had struggled in his bench role lately, shooting just 3 for 14 for a total of nine points over the previous two games. Atkinson thought longer stints on the floor could help get the guard back on track.
LeVert broke out with some nice drives to the basket along with two 3-pointers and 7-for-7 shooting from the foul line. He even added seven assists and agreed his performance could be a stepping stone.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “Like I said, it’s definitely good to see the ball going through the basket, be aggressive like I was tonight.”
Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Suns, who were even with the Nets for most of the first half but then ran out of gas after halftime in the second of their back-toback games and lost their third straight.
“We just lost a bit of our poise tonight,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “It was a three-point game at the half and we didn’t make shots in the third.”
Neither team led by more than six in a first half that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes and ended with Brooklyn ahead 55-52. LeVert and Prince