Johnson leads hot-shooting Nets over Hornets

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Joe Johnson scored 22 points, Deron Williams and Mason Plumlee had double-doubles and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Charlotte Hornets 114-87 on Saturday night for their second straight victory.

Johnson was 9 of 16 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range as the Nets shot 16 of 23 from beyond the arc.

Williams had 18 points and 10 assists, and Plumlee outplayed counterpart Al Jefferson with 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets (10-12), who eclipsed 100 points for the first time in 11 games.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 15 points for the Hornets (6-17), who shot 36 percent from the field in their second straight loss.

Alan Anderson was 4 of 5 from 3-point range and scored 17 points off the bench. Cory Jefferson filled in nicely for Kevin Garnett, who got a night off, scoring 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting. Jarrett Jack chipped in with 14 points off the bench.

The game was never close.

The Nets took control from the onset, jumping out to a 30-12 lead behind 14 first-quarter points from Johnson.

The Nets often isolated the 6-foot-7, 240-pound Johnson on Gerald Henderson in the low post and played through him on nearly every offensive possession. Johnson was 6 of 9 from the field early, twice stepping out beyond the 3-point line to knock down open jumpers.

The Nets, who have struggled offensively in recent weeks, scored 52 points in the first half on 55.6 percent shooting.

Brooklyn stretched its lead to 26 by the end of the third quarter behind back-to-back 3-pointers by Johnson and Sergey Karasev, both getting wide-open looks after good ball movement. The Hornets, looking and playing dejected, were booed by the home crowd as they headed to the bench.

They fell behind by as many as 34 in the fourth quarter as the Nets continued pouring in 3-pointers while the Hornets failed to get out on shooters.

Anderson and Bojan Bogdanovic combined to shoot 8 of 10 off the bench from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

Nets: Garnett got a night to rest on the second night of a back-to-back. Jefferson started, as the Nets started their sixth different starting lineup in the last six games.

Hornets: The Hornets were the latest team to wear "I Can't Breathe" shirts during warmups. Charlotte joins a growing list of teams who have shown support for the family of Eric Garner. He died in July when an arresting New York police officer placed him in a chokehold.

UP NEXT

Nets: Host Miami on Tuesday night.

Hornets: At Cleveland on Monday night.

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