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Joe Johnson, Shaun Livingston and the Nets finally get their first road win, beating the Suns in overtime, 100-98

By Tom Lorenzo

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Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sport

Here we go again, in a situation where the Brooklyn Nets with championship aspirations were on the road "hoping" to beat a young, athletic team that wants nothing more than getting a great draft pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

What could possibly go wrong? Well...famous last words, as they say.

Deron Williams went down early in this one, injuring his left ankle, which turned into a sprained left ankle. He left with about seven minutes left in the first quarter and did not return. Not good. His status going forward is still unknown.

Shaun Livingston, however, stepped up and helped carry the Nets to their first road win of the young season over the Suns, as the Nets dropped Phoenix, 100-98.

Livingston scored 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 37 minutes, coupled with Brook Lopez who was dominant, scoring 27 points on 9-of-16 shooting in 36 minutes, Joe Johnson came up big at the end of regulation, hitting a floater at the end of regulation and then putting the Nets over the top at the end of the overtime period by hitting the soft runner, 100-98.

Overall he shot just 6-of-19 from the floor, but Joe will be Joe. He hit two big shots for the Nets, including this one...

Livingston also played good defense against Bledsoe, holding him scoreless from from 0:48 left in the second until 2:20 left in the fourth, almost 23 minutes in a tight game. Indeed, the Nets held the Suns scoreless for for 7:46 over second and third quarters, from 0:48 in second to 5:02 in the third, easily their best defensive stretch of the season.

The Nets shot just 43.7 percent from the floor and hit only two three-pointers in this one, but they were able to limit the Suns offensively and get buckets against a team that has had great success at defending the rim. Between Lopez and the penetration from Livingston, the Nets were able to provide nice looks inside-out, with 50 points in the paint and some nice looks in the mid-range game. On the break, the Suns held the advantage, out-scoring the Nets 25-7, but it was expected from a quicker, more athletic Suns team.

After the game, Jason Kid admited he expects to be more expressive. He was up and down all night.

"I’m trying to find my way as a coach and this is process for me,’’ Kidd. “There’s a lot of different theories of what to do and I’m trying to find that. I felt sitting wasn’t doing my part or helping my guys so I was going to try something new.’’

In the Battle of the Brothers Plumlees, Mason emerged supreme. He had seven points and three rebounds in 13 minutes while Miles was completely dominated by Lopez and in 35 minutes, had six and seven. Other than in scrimmages and their driveway back in Warsaw, IN, it was the first time the two had played against each other.

Again, it wasn't the prettiest win, against a team that will most likely end up in the Lottery this year, but the Nets needed a win, especially on the road, and picking one up after playing a poor first quarter was just what they needed,

For more on the Suns, see: Bright Side Of The Sun

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Game 8 - Brooklyn Nets vs. Phoenix Suns, 9:00 PM

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