Joe Johnson scored 22 points to help the Brooklyn Nets register their fifth straight victory by defeating Orlando Magic 98-86.
Gerald Wallace added 20 points for Brroklyn; he shot very well form the three-point arc, making five of six. Deron Williams had 11 points and seven assists.
"I think we just got a little more focused," the Associated Press quoted Deron Williams as saying. "We came in and talked as a team.
"Our team wasn't where we were supposed to be defensively in the first half. I think we decided we were going to lock up and get serious because we got stops and it made us get out and run and get some easy baskets."
Because of Johnson's sparkling performance, Brook Lopez's absence did not affect the Nets.
"We did a much better job of coming out and really being focused and taking care of the ball," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "We didn't really didn't really have our normal Brooklyn Nets' focus, but we came out focused in the third (quarter) ... which enabled us to get our defense in."
For Orlando, Glen Davis scored 16 points; E'Twaun Moore added 13 points and grabbed four assists.
Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick did not shoot well and they were a combined two for 14 from the field.. The Nets had 41 rebounds in the game, against Magics' 36.
"That's a big discrepancy," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "I think we had good looks tonight from three that just didn't go in and that's part of basketball."
Nets outscored Orlando in the first quarter 25-21. In the second quarter, the Magic showed better game and scored 23 against the Nets' 20, leaving the Nets leading at the end of the half by one point.
But after that the Nets gathered momentum and took a 69-56 lead, with the help of Wallace's two 3-pointers.
The Nets were leading 76-65 at the start of the fourth quarter. Johnson scored six points to help his team outscore the Magic 22-21 in the fourth quarter and his team won the game.
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