NEWARK, N.J. – Devin Harris had 29 points and nine assists and Brook Lopez added 18 points to lead the New Jersey Nets past the Washington Wizards 97-89 on Thursday night to snap an eight-game losing streak.
The loss was the 13th straight on the road this season for the Wizards (6-18), who played without top overall draft pick John Wall and forward Andray Blatche, both of whom sat out the game with knee problems.
The Nets (7-19), who led by 23 points in the second quarter, got 12 points and 17 rebounds from Kris Humphries, the fourth straight game he collected 10 or more boards.
Reserve Nick Young led the Wizards with 22 points, while Gilbert Arenas had 19 and Al Thornton added 18.
The Nets used a 19-2 run to take a 22-6 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter. Lopez had nine points during that stretch.
The Nets extended their lead to 48-25 on a driving reverse layup by Jordan Farmar with 4:46 left in the first half. Farmar and Harris started together in the backcourt for the first time this season, due to the hamstring injury of usual starting shooting guard Anthony Morrow.
The 23-point lead was the biggest New Jersey has enjoyed at any stage of a game this season.
The Nets led 55-38 at halftime, holding Washington to just 30 percent shooting over two periods.
The Wizards came alive in the third quarter and led by Kirk Hinrich, who had eight points and three assists in the period, cut the lead to 66-61 with 3:26 left in the third.
The Nets led 74-67 going into the final quarter, but the Wizards tied the game at 75 on a driving basket by Thornton with 8:52 remaining, drawing an echo of boos from the 10,764 in attendance.
The Nets scored the next six points and held the lead for the remainder of the game. They put the game away when Harris made six free throws over the last 90 seconds and Humphries made two blocks and secured a big rebound in the final 45 seconds.
The teams combined to shoot an astounding 75 free throws, with the Nets attempting 47.
NOTES: Sasha Vujacic, who was acquired by the Nets in the three-team deal on Tuesday, was in attendance, but was unavailable to play since Terrence Williams had yet to pass his physical with Houston by the time rosters were submitted by tipoff. ... The Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers (0-11) remain the only teams without a road victory this season. ... Not only did the Wizards play without Wall and Blatche, but they were also without former Net Yi Jianlian, who has a sprained ACL. Josh Howard has yet to play this season due to ACL surgery. ... The win was the first for New Jersey in December. The Nets' last win came Nov. 28 at home against Portland. ... Troy Murphy scored his first points for the Nets since Dec. 5.
