The Nets lost a career night by Michael Porter Jr. and a late lead with a minute to play.
And in the end, they were down 106-102 to Phoenix before 17,071 at the Mortgage Matchup Center Tuesday night.
Porter scored 36 points on 15-of-24 shooting and 6-of-10 from deep. But the Nets wasted his huge effort and what looked like a great finish to the game.
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After a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter, the Nets led 102-100 with 1:52 left on Ziaire Williams’ free throws.
But they couldn’t hold on, giving up the final six points and missing their chance at a huge road victory.
In a tough match, that included a brawl that broke out after Williams dove on a loose ball and chaos ensued.
With Brooklyn trailing 104-102 with 1:14 to play, Williams dove to get the ball and Dillon Brooks tried to snatch the ball or tie it up.
Egor Dëmin pushed Brooks, who had received a technical foul earlier in the night for knocking him to the ground. Phoenix’s Royce O’Neale came in and pushed Dëmin, and Terance Mann — who had been flagrantly fouled earlier — got into the match with O’Neale.
Williams was injured during the game and had to be helped off the field.
In the end, Allen gave the Suns a four-point lead. Porter missed a late jumper and the Nets lost Williams and the game.
The Nets have lost six straight and are just one game out of the top three in the lottery race.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been republished with permission.
The new slice of Doncic history | 03:00
PISTON EXHAUST NUGGETS RALLY
Cade Cunningham finished with 22 points as the Detroit Pistons held off a late rally by the depleted Denver Nuggets to hang on for a 109-107 road victory Tuesday.
Detroit, which improved to 34-11 to extend its lead atop the Eastern Conference standings, appeared headed for a comfortable victory after opening an 18-point lead early in the second quarter.
But a Denver team without four key starters, including Nikola Jokic, refused to turn around and gradually chipped away at Detroit’s lead, closing to within one point of the Pistons at 107-106 with four seconds left in the final quarter.
Denver star Jamal Murray could have forced overtime after getting three free throws with one second left and Detroit leading 109-106.
However, Murray missed his second and third free throws and the Pistons escaped.
PELICANS THUNDER ROLL
In other games Tuesday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander extended his incredible 20-point streak to 118 consecutive games as the Oklahoma City Thunder improved to 38-10 with a 104-95 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 29 points, six rebounds and four assists as he closed in on Wilt Chamberlain’s mark of 126 consecutive 20-point performances, a record set between 1961 and 1963.
Chet Holmgren added 20 points and Isaiah Joe scored 17 off the bench to provide Gilgeous-Alexander with scoring support.
Tempers flared after the final buzzer when a confrontation between the Thunder’s Lu Dort and New Orleans’ Jeremiah Fears sparked a melee involving several players from both teams.
Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said the postgame skirmish was the result of lax officiating.
“Good guys, good team, but I thought they lost control of the game in the last minutes,” Daigneault said.
Hostilities boil over during Thunder victory | 00:54
In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid and Paul George combined for 61 points as the 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 139-122.
George put on a long-range shooting clinic, hitting nine three-pointers en route to 32 points, while Embiid added 29 and Tyrese Maxey 22. The Sixers improved to 25-21 while Milwaukee fell to 18-27 after their third straight loss.
Embiid, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, was encouraged by another strong outing that followed a 38-point performance against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
“Every time I step on the floor, I get emotional because the last few years have been extremely difficult, what I’ve been through,” Embiid said.
“I’m just happy to finally be consistent on the pitch – I don’t take it for granted. It’s a good feeling.” Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks earned their third straight victory with a 103-87 loss to the Sacramento Kings.
Jalen Brunson led the Knicks at Madison Square Garden with 28 points as New York ultimately pulled away with a 31-point final quarter.
“It was an ugly game,” Brunson said afterward. “It wasn’t pretty, but we managed to pull through and find a way to win and I think that’s really important for us.”
-with AFP
