Nets 111, Kings 99
One night after going scoreless in the New Jersey Nets' close win, Anthony Morrow was looking to make amends.
The veteran guard with the dangerous outside shot made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points to lead the Nets past the Sacramento Kings 111-99 on Saturday night for their season-high third straight victory.
Morrow played his first two seasons with Golden State, yet looked anything but comfortable in his return to Oakland, missing all six shots as the Nets rallied from 19 points down to beat the Warriors on Friday night.
Coming off the bench against the Kings, Morrow got going early and remained on his game, shooting 6 for 11 on 3s. It was fifth time in his careeer that Morrow made at least six 3s. He ranks fifth on the NBA's all-time 3-point shooting percentage at just over 43 percent.
''I don't ever think I'm having an off night,'' Morrow said.
Yet he was a little surprised the Kings continually left him open on the perimeter. His first 10 shots were all from beyond the arc, and he made 8 of 17 overall, while also adding five rebounds.
''It (being left open) doesn't happen all the time, not as much as it used to,'' Morrow said. ''When it happens I have to take advantage of it, especially having Deron (Williams) out there and everybody that draws so much attention. It's going to open up a lot of opportunities for myself and other shooters on the team.''
The Nets have won four of five games and have opened a four-game Westeran road trip with consecutive victories.
''It's rare being in this stratosphere,'' Nets coach Avery Johnson said. ''Guys are really feeling good about themselves. Even though it's a team game, a lot of it has to do with Gerald Wallace. It's his defense, his competitive spirit. He settles our team down when we are getting out of sorts. He passes, he shoots, he rebounds.''
Williams had 19 points, 15 assists and six rebounds for the Nets, who had lost 12 of their previous 13 visits to Sacramento. Wallace, who came to the Nets several weeks ago in a trade with Portland, added 18 points. Kris Humphries had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Johan Petro scored 12 points.
The Nets, now 12-16 on the road, are one of two teams - along with New Orleans - to have a better record on the road than at home.
Tyreke Evans scored 23 points for the Kings, who have dropped five of their last six. DeMarcus Cousins had 14 points, Marcus Thornton scored 13 and Isaiah Thomas added 11 points and six assists.
The Kings were coming off a one-point win Friday in Utah and looked strong in the first quarter when they led 35-31. But they looked sluggish in the second and third quarter when New Jersey built its double digit advantage.
''We didn't have the energy we needed,'' Kings coach Keith Smart said. ''There were six 3-pointers in our first and third quarters, so we didn't have what was going to be necessary to win this game. Tonight was one of those nights where they kept us in a bind trying to find the right group to match up to their guys.''
Williams helped halt the Kings' fourth-quarter rally from a 19-point deficit. He made two free throws and added a jumper to put the Nets on top 106-95 with 2:37 remaining.
Sluggish for much of the second and third quarters, the Kings scored 12 consecutive points to pull to 102-95 with 3:55 remaining when Francisco Garcia converted on a fastbreak layup.
Both teams shot poorly to open the fourth before DeShawn Stevenson made a 3-pointer and Williams followed with a driving layup to give New Jersey a 102-83 lead midway through the quarter.
Morrrow connected on three 3s and scored 10 points in the third quarter when the Nets outscored the Sacramento 32-20 to take a 91-76 lead into the fourth. After a productive first half, Cousins went to the bench with his fourth foul. He missed all five shots and was scoreless in the third.
''We didn't have any energy in the second half, plus we let Morrow take all those shots. He just kept shooting and we didn't stop it.''
Ahead by three points at the half, the Nets scored the first six points of the third quarter and went on 13-3 run. Morrow's fourth 3-pointer of the game put New Jersey ahead 72-59 with 7:44 remaining in the period.
NOTES: Kings reserve John Salmons missed his third consecutive game with a sore right hip and Nets guard Jordan Farmar didn't play for a fourth straight game due to a strained groin. ... Williams had nine assists in the opening half when the Nets shots 57 percent. ... The Nets committed 19 turnovers, including five by Williams. ... The Kings signed Terrence Williams for the remainder of the season. He had joined the team recently on a 10-day contract.