MarShon Brooks reacts after a dunk against the Charlotte Bobcats during the first half of last night’s victory. (Reuters)
CHARLOTTE—It took a while, but the Nets finally got going last night.
After sleepwalking through the early stages and finding themselves trailing by 10 at halftime to the league’s worst team, the Nets outscored the Bobcats 28-9 third quarter and 56-25 in the second half to pull away and earn a convincing 99-78 victory in front of 13,382 at Time Warner Cable Arena.
“We did not play with the same passion in the first half as we did in the second half,” Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said. “We just defended better, and that’s how we won the game.”
After a sloppy and disjointed first half, the Nets (35-26) smothered the Bobcats in the second half. Charlotte (13-48), which has now lost 43 of its last 49 games, went 10 for 40 (25 percent) from the field after the break, while the Nets shot a blistering 22 for 34 (64.7 percent).
That surge was led by Joe Johnson, who went 6 for 9 from the field after the break to score 16 of his game-high 22 points.
“We hit shots, and we got stops,” said Deron Williams, who had 20 points, four rebounds and eight assists.
Despite their record, the hapless Bobcats didn’t look so hapless early on, taking an 186 lead, which they held for much of the first half. Charlotte played with composure, pounding the ball inside to the tune of 30 points in the paint and shot 50 percent from the field while the Nets went 12 for 33 (36.4 percent).
“The first half, if you really look at it, we got good opportunities but we just weren’t hitting,” said Reggie Evans, who had six points and 16 rebounds. “That was our main thing. Our normal shots that we hit we were not hitting. They kind of caught us off guard with their zone, but we still got great shots.
“In the second half, we had those same shots, and they just started falling.”
The win was a nice confidence boost for the Nets, no matter the opponent, after they had entered the game losing four of their last five games.
“They’re an NBA team, and they have talent, and we gave them an opportunity to come out with energy and let them believe they have a chance,” said Brook Lopez, who finished with 16 points.
“That’s something we just can’t do, so we had to come out in the second and be decisive about it.”
tbontemps@nypost.com