Phoenix Suns (32-30) at Brooklyn Nets (25-34), 8 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - Two teams fighting for their playoff lives, albeit in different conferences, do battle on Friday when the Brooklyn Nets host the Phoenix Suns at the Barclays Center.
The Nets are one game behind the Charlotte Hornets for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Suns are two back of the Oklahoma City in the ultra- tough Western Conference.
Brooklyn had a two-game winning streak snapped emphatically on Wednesday with a 115-91 home loss to the Hornets. After a win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday, the Nets laid an egg in game two of a five-game homestand.
"We just came out flat," said Nets coach Lionel Hollins. "They beat us in every facet of the game."
Brooklyn was led by Deron Williams, who finished with 12 points and six assists. Mason Plumlee and Bojan Bogdanovic each scored 11.
The Hornets led 35-15 after one after shooting 65.2 percent and limiting the Nets to 30 percent. The Nets closed the half on a 7-2 run and Charlotte led 56-44 at the break.
Brooklyn could not carry that momentum out of the locker room, though, and a 12-1 Hornets run with six points from Jefferson soon put Charlotte up 70-47.
The Nets host the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans on this stay.
The Suns are 1-1 on their four-game road trip, which ends Saturday night against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Wednesday, Phoenix rallied for a 105-100 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Brandon Knight had 28 points, seven assists and three steals to lead the Suns.
Markieff Morris added 23 points and six rebounds for the Suns, who snapped a two-game losing streak. P.J. Tucker tallied 19 points and five boards, while Eric Bledsoe managed 13 points and nine assists.
"It was a good win and we needed it, but it shouldn't have been like it was," Tucker said. "We should come out full of energy in a game like this when we've lost close games."
Phoenix outscored Orlando by a 34-17 margin in the third quarter to take a 77-69 lead. Marcus Morris then opened the fourth with a 3-pointer to make it an 11-point contest.
The Suns went 6-of-6 from the line in the final 13.2 seconds to secure the victory.
The Suns beat the Nets by eight in Phoenix on Nov. 12 to snap a four-game series losing streak. Brooklyn has won both meetings against the Suns at the Barclays Center.