Suns at Nets
The improving Brooklyn Nets aren't quite ready to join the NBA's elite as they prepare to host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Brooklyn had its seven-game winning streak snapped Friday with a 114-106 loss to Indiana and despite owning victories over Toronto, Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Lakers during that stretch, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson isn't ready to talk playoffs.
“Not there yet,” Atkinson told reporters. “(Indiana's) a proven playoff team, a tough group of guys. I really don’t think we deserved this one. We fought, and we were in it and we had a chance, but they were the better team. It’s just clear. Good measuring stick. That’s the type of tenacity and physicality we need to get to another level.” Brooklyn continues to receive steady play from guard Spencer Dinwiddie (17.4 points per game), who has averaged 20.4 points in five games since signing a three-year contract extension. The Suns will be a weary bunch after losing at Washington 149-146 in triple overtime Saturday, snapping their season-high four-game winning streak and the longest run since March 2015. The Nets prevailed 104-82 in Phoenix on Nov. 6 - the fewest points they've allowed all season - for their sixth victory in the last seven encounters.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FS Arizona, YES (Brooklyn)
ABOUT THE SUNS (8-25): Devin Booker recorded 33 points and a career-high 14 assists in 55 minutes Saturday, raising his team-high averages to 24.8 and 6.9. Deandre Ayton registered a career-best 26 points and added 17 rebounds versus Washington for his fourth straight double-double and 20th of the season - most among rookies while increasing his season numbers to 16.3 and a club-best 10.6. Kelly Oubre had 20 points and five rebounds in his second game with Phoenix since he was acquired from Washington on Monday and received a standing ovation from the Capital One Arena crowd when he entered the game.
ABOUT THE NETS (15-19): Rookie forward Rodions Kurucs recorded a career-high 24 points Friday - the first time he's led the team in scoring - as he continues to get extra minutes with Allen Crabbe (knee) missing his fifth straight contest. "It's hard to take him out of the game," Atkinson told reporters. "It wasn't the plan to play him 34 minutes, and he's earning his minutes. He's earning his play, and it's a pleasant, pleasant surprise for a 20-year-old kid." D'Angelo Russell (17.5 points per game), the club's leading scorer with Caris LeVert (18.4) out with an ankle injury, registered a season-low three points Friday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. New Jersey is plus-39 in first quarters this season after it was minus-182 in 2017-18.
2. Phoenix. which shares the worst record in the league with Cleveland and Chicago, concludes its season high-matching five-game road trip Wednesday in Orlando.
3. The Nets are 3-11 versus the Western Conference, also winning at Denver and Cleveland.