Nets 100, 76ers 91
NEW YORK -- Reserve forward Andrea Bargnani scored 13 of his season-high 23 points during the fourth quarter, helping the Brooklyn Nets survive a challenge from the Philadelphia 76ers during a 100-91 victory Thursday night.
The game was a matchup of the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
Though he struggled at times defensively against Philadelphia rookie center Jahlil Okafor, Bargnani made up for it by hitting four shots in the final 12 minutes and eight of 15 overall.
Bargnani's biggest night as a Net came while center Brook Lopez was saddled with foul trouble and limited to 19 minutes. Bargnani hit his two biggest shots in a span of 39 seconds, off inbounds passes from forward Joe Johnson.
The first key shot was a left-wing 19-footer with 3:55 remaining after a drive by Okafor made it a 92-87 game.
After Philadelphia guard Isaiah Canaan misfired on a 3-pointer, Bargnani knocked down a 17-footer from the right side for a 96-87 lead, and then he iced the win with two free throws with about two minutes left.
Bargnani led four in double figures for Brooklyn, which was in front by 16 early in the second quarter and trailed by four entering the fourth quarter.
Former 76ers forward Thaddeus Young added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Reserve guard Shane Larkin contributed 14 points and six assists, and guard Bojan Bogdanovic added 10 points.
Okafor finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie reserve guard T.J. McConnell added a career-best 17, hitting three of four 3-pointers while the rest of the Sixers were a combined 1-for-27 from beyond the arc.
Philadelphia missed its first 15 3-point tries but hung around long enough to be within 52-44 at halftime. The 76ers outscored the Nets 30-16 in the third and took a 74-70 lead into the fourth on three straight inside baskets by forward Jerami Grant.
NOTES: A report appeared in Forbes Magazine saying Philadelphia owner Josh Harris wants to sell the team and become one of the first owners of a NFL team in London. Before the game, a 76ers spokesman denied the report in a statement. "That is inaccurate. Josh has said repeatedly that he hopes to own the 76ers for many, many years and keep it in the family for many years." ... Brooklyn held Jewish Heritage night but issued an apology on its Twitter account for t-shirts containing a spelling error in Hebrew. ... G Tony Wroten made his first start since Jan. 3 and was limited to 16 minutes five days after returning from missing 10 1/2 months with a partially torn right ACL. ... Brooklyn F Andrea Bargnani was available after missing four games with a tight left hamstring.