Mikal Bridges helps Nets beat Rockets for third straight win

HOUSTON — Mikal Bridges scored 30 points, Spencer Dinwiddie added 23 and the Brooklyn Nets had a big third quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 118-96 on Tuesday night for their third straight victory.

Bridges has scored 30 or more points in three straight games and five times overall since coming over from Phoenix on Feb. 9 in the deal that sent Kevin Durant to the Suns. Bridges also had five assists, two blocks and a steal.

Brooklyn has its longest winning streak since a season-high 12-game run from Dec. 7-Jan. 8. The Nets also had their third double-digit win in a row.

Jalen Green had 25 points for the Western Conference-worst Rockets, who were coming off consecutive wins over San Antonio.

Brooklyn was up by 14 after a 33-point third quarter and pushed it to 18 early in the fourth before a 3 by rookie Jabari Smith Jr. cut the lead to 96-81.

But Brooklyn scored the next seven points, with a 3 from Bridges and capped by an alley-oop dunk by Nic Claxton, to make it 103-81 with nine minutes left.

Brooklyn was up by 5 at halftime and used a 16-3 run to push the lead to 75-57 midway through the third quarter. Claxton had two dunks in that stretch and Dinwiddie had a 3-point play and a 3-pointer to allow the Nets to pull away.

The Nets had an 18-point lead later in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Joe Harris before the Rockets used a 5-2 spurt, with a 3 from Smith, to cut the lead to 89-74.

Brooklyn was up 92-78 entering the fourth.

Houston led by many as 11 in the first half, but the Nets had taken a 59-54 lead by halftime.

TIP-INS

Nets: Ben Simmons missed his seventh straight game with left knee and back soreness. … Claxton had 18 points and 13 rebounds. … Royce O’Neal had 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

Rockets: Alperen Sengun had 16 points and 12 rebounds. … Smith scored 15. … Houston made just 7 of 25 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

Nets: At Milwaukee on Thursday night.

Rockets: At Indiana on Thursday night.