D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points, and Ziaire Williams nearly had a double-double as the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Houston Rockets 110-98 on Saturday. This win came after the Nets ended a seven-game losing streak with a victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.
The Nets won back-to-back games for the first time since late November by shooting 49.4 percent from the field. They also outscored the Rockets 60-50 in the paint and held Houston to 40 percent shooting.
Russell was steady throughout the game, and six Nets players scored in double figures. Williams contributed 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Day’Ron Sharpe scored 13 points off the bench. Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson each added 13 points and eight rebounds, completing the well-rounded performance.
Jalen Green led the Rockets with 29 points. However, Houston played without All-Star center Alperen Sengun (calf injury) for the second straight game. Steven Adams filled in for Sengun, scoring 11 points and pulling down seven rebounds.
However, the forward duo of Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks, who combined for 69 points in a win against Boston last week, managed just 24 points on 11-for-30 shooting.
Houston also lost Fred VanVleet to an ankle injury with 4:19 left in the first half. The Rockets have now lost back-to-back games, which hasn’t happened since December, when they lost to Minnesota and Miami at home.
Brooklyn started strong by hitting 3 of their first 4 three-pointers and finished the first quarter with a 26-23 lead, helped by Sharpe’s second-chance basket. The Nets then built a double-digit lead in the second quarter after Houston missed their first seven shots of the period.
Williams’ alley-oop dunk in transition put Brooklyn ahead 45-35 with 2:35 left in the first half. Houston struggled further, missing their last five shots of the half and shooting just 5-for-22 in the second quarter. The Nets took a 53-38 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Wilson’s three-point play at 7:32 pushed the lead to 18, and when Williams scored again on a second-chance play at 3:36, Brooklyn’s lead grew to 76-57.
The Nets’ lead reached as high as 22 points at one point.
