Nets 106, Rockets 98
HOUSTON -- Reserves Bojan Bogdanovic and Shane Larkin combined for 37 points and the Brooklyn Nets recorded their first victory of the season, shocking the Houston Rockets 106-98 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.
Brooklyn (1-7) parlayed a dominant performance on the offensive glass and some clutch shooting down the stretch into their first road win against Houston (4-4) in nine games. Bogdanovic finished with a team-high 22 points, including a dagger 3-pointer with 70 seconds left that lifted the Nets to a 104-98 lead.
Larkin added 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. Bogdanovic and Larkin also combined for 17 rebounds in snapping the Rockets' four-game winning streak.
Rockets guard James Harden had 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists while forward Marcus Thornton scored 21 points and added seven assists. Houston center Dwight Howard posted a double-double of 20 points and 17 rebounds with five blocks.
Brooklyn finished with a 60-45 edge on the boards and recorded 33 second-chance points.
For all the spacing the Rockets gain by starting Thornton in the frontcourt, their vulnerability on the glass has proved troublesome. Brooklyn exposed the Rockets throughout, turning eight offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points and a foreboding trend.
Harden powered Houston to a six-point lead entering the second quarter with 12 points and three assists in the first, but the Rockets bench proved ineffective and Lopez sparked a Nets comeback with 10 consecutive points to draw the Nets to within 32-30. His individual burst ignited his teammates, with Brooklyn surging ahead 47-42 on a baseline drive from guard Wayne Ellington with 2:39 left in the half.
While Houston missed all four of its 3-pointers in the second quarter, the Nets kept pounding the Rockets on the offensive glass, reaching intermission with 14 offensive boards and 21 second-chance points. With two transition baskets from Bogdanovic to close the half, the Nets took a 55-49 lead into the intermission, their largest of the game.
The Rockets again needed their starters to restore order in the third, with Harden and Howard powering an early push out of the break before reserve guard Patrick Beverley hit a 3 that pushed the lead to 79-68. But once again the Nets had an answer, with Larkin catching fire down the stretch to cut the deficit to four entering the final period.
NOTES: Rockets G Patrick Beverley was arrested in the Houston suburb of Pearland and later released on Wednesday after paying a fine for an open warrant for a toll system violation. Beverley returned to action against the Nets after missing two games with a concussion. ... Nets rookie G Rondae Hollis-Jefferson got the first crack at defending Rockets All-NBA G James Harden, a weighty assignment coming in just his third start. Hollis-Jefferson entered Wednesday with a plus/minus of plus-15, seventh-best among rookies with a minimum of 100 minutes played. ... Rockets coach Kevin McHale maintained his starting lineup despite the return of F Terrence Jones (lacerated right eyelid), with G/F Marcus Thornton and F Trevor Ariza flanking C Dwight Howard. ... After hitting 6 of 17 field goals Wednesday, Nets C Brook Lopez (2,958) moved past Nets G John Williamson (1973-77, '78-80) for third in franchise history for field goals made. Williamson had 2,957.