Mark Williams scored 27 points and Dillon Brooks added 26 as the short-handed Phoenix Suns snapped a two-game skid with a 106-102 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, a contest that boiled over with a late scuffle.
After Brooks hit two free throws to give the Suns a 104-102 lead with 1:23 remaining, a steal by Royce O’Neale led to a scramble in the paint. Brooks tried to wrestle the ball from Ziaire Williams after the whistle, prompting Egor Demin to push him. Several players and assistant coaches from both teams converged as officials tried to restore order. Demin, Nett players Mann and Michael Porter Jr., along with Suns’ Grayson Allen and O’Neale, were assessed technical fouls. Brooks did not receive a second technical despite an earlier one in the game.
Allen finished with 18 points for Phoenix, which was without Devin Booker (right ankle) and Jalen Green (right hamstring).
Porter had a season-high 36 points for Brooklyn, who have lost six straight and 14 of their last 16 games. Demin added 15, but the Nets struggled to find consistent secondary scoring. Porter scored 27 of Brooklyn’s first 24 field goals, including a 3-pointer with 9:47 left in the third.
Phoenix led 91-81 midway through the fourth before Brooklyn mounted a 19-5 run to take a 100-96 lead with 3:33 remaining. Williams scored four quick points to reclaim the lead, and Allen’s basket tied the game at 102 with 1:39 left. Brooks’ late free throws sealed the win.
Up next:
Nets: At Denver on Thursday night
Suns: Host Detroit on Thursday night
