NBA: Brooklyn Nets rally from first-half hole to overcome Rockets

Brooklyn Nets faced adversity early against Houston Rockets on Friday but rebounded to claim a 123-116 victory.

The Nets fell into a hole early and trailed by as much as 15 in the first half before it found an excess of scoring from some surprising places.

Taurean Prince unexpectedly led the way offensively with a team-high 27 points for Brooklyn while Garrett Temple chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds.

But Brooklyn still called Kyrie Irving's number down the stretch, and he sealed the game with a step-back dagger on a corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. He finished with 22 points on the night.

James Harden continued his ridiculous run at the charity stripe, tallying 36 points and eight rebounds while sinking 14 free throws. But he struggled from deep and made only two of his 16 long-range shots.

Houston has made a name for itself by shooting a large number of threes but shooting at a 25 percent clip against a Brooklyn team that converted 59.4 percent from downtown didn't help its chances Friday.

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The Rockets dropped to 3-2 in 2019-20 while the Nets improved to 2-3.

Studs of the Night

Russell Westbrook totaled 27 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and four steals against Brooklyn.

Kemba Walker scored 33 points in the Celtics' 104-102 win over the Knicks.

Andre Drummond tallied 25 points and 24 rebounds as the Pistons fell to the Bulls 112-106.

Duds of the Night

Brook Lopez went 1-of-7 from the field and scored three points in the Bucks' 123-91 rout of the Magic.

Cleveland's Darius Garland missed all 10 of his shots and notched just two points in his team's 102-95 loss to the Pacers.

Highlight

Jayson Tatum iced the game for the Celtics.

What's Next?

76ers (4-0) at Trail Blazers (3-2) 10 p.m. ET — Philadelphia is still undefeated but will face a talented Portland team without Joel Embiid, who is serving a two-game suspension for a skirmish with Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns. How will the 76ers respond without their dominant post presence and defensive stud down low? Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum certainly won't make things easy for the Eastern Conference powerhouse.