Nets torched from deep again in 126-117 loss to Suns

The Nets didn’t have time to recover from Sunday night’s 20 3-pointers in Chicago before the same problem followed them home. A night later at Barclays Center, Brooklyn watched the Phoenix Suns rain another 20 games in a 126-117 loss that cut it to 12-29.

Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Devin Booker scored 24 and Collin Gillespie added 22.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in Brooklyn’s loss.

Drake Powell tried to set a different tone from the start. The rookie returned to the starting lineup and scored three straight points on Brooklyn’s first possessions, scoring six of the Nets’ first nine points and giving the building an early boost.

But Phoenix didn’t blink. Brooks was successful on his first two attempts from deep. Gillespie hit his first and the Suns kept pace from the perimeter as Brooklyn struggled to string together stops. Porter remained scoreless in the first quarter in his return from a one-game absence, while Brooks and Booker combined for an efficient 18 points as Phoenix shot 71.4% overall and took a sizable lead after one.

The Nets only found their footing when they were already facing a 20-point gap. With 4:41 left in the first half, Brooklyn finally flipped a switch, tightening up defensively and turning Phoenix’s early pace into a series of empty trips. On the other end, the Nets suddenly couldn’t miss, with Porter and Terance Mann sparking a surge that changed the entire feel of the game.

Brooklyn turned that swing into a 24-8 run to close the half, cutting the deficit to four at the break and finishing with Mann drilling a 25-footer off the dribble at the buzzer. The Nets improved to 8-for-14 from deep in the second quarter while Phoenix cooled to 4-for-13, as Porter scored 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting after a slow start and Ziaire Williams added 10 off the bench in his return from an illness-related absence.

Brooklyn also got another good stretch from Nolan Traore, who continued his recent streak of consistent play off the bench. The rookie guard scored 10 points in his first nine minutes in a perfect 3-for-3 start, giving him his second career half with at least 10 points and providing another boost to the Nets’ second unit.

In addition to his buzzer-beater, Mann also dished out seven assists in the first half, tied for his most in a game this season. He finished with eight, providing a major boost to the game with Egor Dëmin sidelined.

But the third quarter made it clear that Brooklyn’s surge was not going to continue on its own. Phoenix fought back hard, putting up 90 points and rebuilding a 13-point lead with 6:02 left in the period. Porter went quiet again, the Nets shot just 36.8 percent and the Suns remained in control behind 10 points from Booker, the only player on either team to reach double figures in the quarter.

Phoenix went 4-for-8 deep in the period and led 103-89 in the final quarter, giving Brooklyn one more chance to continue a game that had swung wildly before slipping back into the Suns’ hands. The Nets made their wild rally and cut it to four with 4:01 to play, but Phoenix regained control with a final run that buried Brooklyn’s comeback.

The Nets will be in Manhattan on Wednesday for a game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.