Nets 105, Bobcats 89
Paul Pierce hit all five of his 3-point attempts and went 9-of-11 from the field en route to 25 points as Brooklyn cruised past visiting Charlotte.
Deron Williams added 13 points and seven assists and Mirza Teletovic recorded 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Nets, who have won four of five. Andray Blatche scored 13 points in a reserve role while Kevin Garnett added 10 points for Brooklyn.
Kemba Walker led the Bobcats with 16 points while Al Jefferson collected 12 points and 10 rebounds. Josh McRoberts scored 13 points as Charlotte fell for the third time in five games.
The Nets took a 50-44 lead into the half and Pierce and Garnett scored all the points in a 10-0 run to begin the third quarter. The Bobcats, who were playing the second night of a back-to-back after a 114-89 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, missed their first four shots of the period and never recovered.
Pierce’s 3-pointer made it a 74-53 lead with 3:38 left in the third and Williams and Joe Johnson combined for three straight 3-pointers to push the lead to 85-58 before Brooklyn settled for a 22-point edge heading into the fourth. The Nets sat the starters for the entire final period as the reserves put it away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Brooklyn improved to 24-26, matching its closest mark to .500 since it was 2-3 on Nov. 8. … Walker got the start and played 38 minutes despite leaving Tuesday’s game with an Achilles injury. … Jefferson failed to reach 20 points for just the second time in the last 16 games.