Nearly a year had passed since anyone had witnessed it. There were times odds indicated fans would be more likely to see Bigfoot cavorting with the Loch Ness monster than what unfurled Thursday at Barclays Center. But there it was.
A second straight Nets victory.
But hey, you get 81 points — eighty-one — from the bench and anything is possible, even seeing Bigfoot and Nessie.
“Yeah, now I’m going to keep an eye out for them,” Brook Lopez said.
For the first time since last March 24 and 26, the Nets can say they have a two-game winning streak after they overcame a start not even a mother could forgive and pummeled the undermanned Suns, 126-98, on a night Jeremy Lin returned from a sprained ankle that forced him to sit the previous game.
Which was a win, of course.
“Honestly, our bench was amazing. This might have been their best game of the season. They completely saved the first unit,” said Lin, who aided the victory with 13 points and five assists in 21 minutes.
But the Nets’ depth was a bigger factor. With three regulars resting and three more nursing injuries, the Suns suited up nine guys, finished with six and there was one more injury and two guys fouled out. Three of their top four scorers, Eric Bledsoe (rest), Brandon Knight (rest) and T.J. Warren (foot) were out. The fourth, Devin Booker, led all scorers with 28 points and Marquese Chriss had 23.
But it was not enough for Phoenix (22-50) against the Nets (15-56) who enjoyed a staggering 81-22 bench advantage. The Nets got contributions from everywhere. Eight guys hit double-figures: Lopez (19 points), K.J. McDaniels (16), Trevor Booker (14), Quincy Acy (12), Archie Goodwin (12), Isaiah Whitehead (11), Justin Hamilton (10) and Lin. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time in Nets NBA history six bench players scored double figures in the same game.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson contributed 16 rebounds while Whitehead played a huge role in a pivotal 8-0 second quarter run when he scored three-point plays 21 seconds apart in a streak that helped overcome what had been a 15-point deficit.
“It was great to just help the starters out,” Whitehead said. “They came out a little flat. That’s our job to come out and give energy and turn the game around or if we’re winning to just keep pounding it. That was our main goal.”
Believe it, the starters needed help. Before six minutes had elapsed, the Suns, with quickness, Devin Booker’s shooting and a zone defense, were leading 20-5.
“I thought we were completely out of it to start the game,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I was very worried … and then we took the timeout and I had to — wake-up call, let’s put it that way. A stern wake-up call. Pens were flying and clipboards were flying.”
The Nets were within 10 at the end of the first quarter then Whitehead was the impetus behind a stunning 21 seconds that got the Nets within two. With Phoenix up, 32-22, Whitehead drove successfully and was fouled at 11:29 then hit the free throw. Jarell Eddie threw the Phoenix inbounds into the stratosphere. Acy scored on a jumper at 11:16. Whitehead stole Alan Williams’ subsequent inbounds, drove, scored, was fouled and hit the free throw: 32-30.
“Our bench was so big tonight,” Lopez said.
Atkinson saw the Nets do unto another what is usually done to the Nets.
“That was a stretch where the second unit decided we were going to defend,” Atkinson said. “We started denying passes. We made every catch tough. Kind of what teams do to us. We really got into them from a physical standpoint.”
With Lin scoring 10 points in the final 3:54 of the half, the Nets took a two-point lead into the third quarter. And then it was a rout. The Nets used runs of 9-0 and 12-0 to claim an 84-65 lead. And everyone contributed.
“We got stops and ran,” said Goodwin, who faced his former Phoenix team — he played three years for the Suns. “When the second unit came on in the second quarter, [they] picked up full court and made them make careless turnovers.”
So with the Nets in Washington on Friday, the starters got ample rest. Lopez played the longest: 24:53.