NBA

Nets defeat Bobcats, end 5-game skid

It wasn’t pretty, but the Nets got a much-needed win last night.

After losing five straight and seven of their past eight, the Nets came away with a 102-89 victory over the Bobcats, their sixth win at Newark’s Prudential Center in the franchise’s final season in New Jersey.

“We just needed a win,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “[General manager] Billy [King] and I were talking about it in my office before the game. It was one of those games, by any means necessary, to scratch and claw as much as we can.”

For a while, it looked like the hapless Bobcats, now a league-worst 7-39, might find a way to hang around and steal a victory after the Nets ended the first half with just a 48-42 lead.

But the Nets (16-34) quickly put those thoughts to rest in the third quarter. The Nets outscored Charlotte 33-16, including a 21-5 run over the final 4:29 of the quarter to blow the game open and ensure that they completed a four-game season sweep.

That third-quarter surge was sparked in large part by Deron Williams, who had nine points and four assists in the quarter on his way to finishing with 19 points and tying his season high with 14 assists.

“It’s a good win,” Williams said. “It’s a long time coming. We’ve needed it for a while, so I’m definitely happy about it.”

All five Nets starters finished in double figures for the third time this season, led by double-doubles from Kris Humphries (20 points, 16 rebounds) and Shelden Williams (10 and 11).

Rookie MarShon Brooks finished with 11 points, while Gerald Wallace — who picked up his first win in five games since coming over in a deadline day trade with Portland — added 15 points and seven rebounds.

“It felt really good to get the win,” Wallace said. “Hopefully this can turn something around and get us started.”

Deron Williams picked up his fourth technical foul of the week when he confronted Charlotte’s Corey Maggette halfway through the quarter after Williams was on the receiving end of a Maggette forearm in the lane.

“I haven’t seen it [yet],” Williams said after the game. “I’ll look at it.”

“I was just running down the court, trying to get position, and I guess he was upset about it,” Maggette said. “But I have a lot of respect for Deron.

“I would never try to intentionally hurt anybody on the court. It’s just not my M.O. … I really didn’t know what he was talking about, but as a man, I apologize.”

DeShawn Stevenson did not dress for last night’s game due to a bout with the flu. Guard Jerry Smith’s 10-day contract is set to expire at midnight tonight. Smith didn’t play in Atlanta on Friday before getting on the floor for the final 1:42 of last night’s win.