The Nets kept making runs in the second half last night. But every time they did, the Rockets had an answer.
More to the point, the Rockets had James Harden.
With the Nets' go-to-guy in the fourth, Joe Johnson, sitting out for the first time this season, it was Harden who officially put the Nets away when he hit a 3-pointer over Keith Bogans with 39 seconds left send the Rockets to a 106-96 win Friday night — the Nets' 10th straight loss to the Rockets at home.
After the Rockets had shot the lights out in the first half — hitting 58 percent of their shots from the field and 53 percent from 3-point range — to head into halftime with a 61-53 lead, the Nets kept battling back. But outside of briefly tying the game at 68 midway through the third quarter on a Brook Lopez layup, the Nets were never able to pull even after falling behind in the late stages of the first quarter. They remain one game behind the Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
Brook Lopez finished with 27 points and six rebounds to lead the Nets (33-23), while the Rockets (31-26) were led by Harden and Carlos Delfino, who scored five straight points late in the fourth after the Nets had cut a 15-point deficit to three at 97-94.
After the Nets have spent all season talking about the various things ailing Deron Williams, who had his third round of cortisone shots in his ailing ankles on Thursday, the other half of Brooklyn's Backcourt took a seat for the first time last night.
Johnson, who had been the only player to start every game, sat for the first time this season dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. To combat Houston's speed, the Nets inserted backup point C.J. Watson into the starting lineup, and moved Williams to shooting guard to try and contend with Rockets scoring dynamo James Harden.
And for much of the game, it worked, as the Nets were able to largely keep Harden at bay, as the league's leader in getting to the foul line was largely kept off of it.
But after the Nets had managed to get themselves back into the game in the third quarter, Harden nearly put them away for good.
With Houston leading 77-75 after a Brook Lopez bucket with 1:23 remaining in the quarter, Harden knocked down 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions before hitting one of two free throws to end the quarter on a personal 7-0 run and put the Rockets up 84-75. The Rockets then opened the fourth with six straight points to push the lead to 15 at 90-75. The Nets were never able to draw level down the stretch.
tbontemps@nypost.com
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