Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Brook Lopez scored 30 points with 11 rebounds and the Brooklyn Nets continued their recent resurgence with a 107-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Joe Johnson had 18 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, and Markel Brown chipped in a career-high 17 points for Brooklyn, which has won three straight.
With the win and a Boston loss at home to the Clippers, Brooklyn moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the Celtics.
Jordan Hill finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds off the bench for the Lakers, who have lost two straight and three of their last four. Jordan Clarkson added 18 points with seven assists in the loss.
"(Lopez) is just so big and skilled," said Lakers coach Byron Scott. "It's hard when you're undersized like we are to play against a guy that good."
Wayne Ellington hit a 3-pointer that kicked off a 9-2 spurt for the Lakers which trimmed their deficit to 92-87 with under eight minutes left in the game.
Hill's jumper minutes later pulled Los Angeles within three, but Lopez followed with a driving slam dunk and Johnson nailed a 3-pointer to make it 101-93 with 1:57 on the clock.
The Lakers cut the deficit to four down the stretch.
"We knew that they were going to keep fighting," said Lopez. "They're an NBA team and have a lot of season left."
Brooklyn held Los Angeles scoreless for the final 2:38 of the first quarter. Lopez, who scored 12 points in the opening frame, knocked down a jumper late to send the Nets into the second with a 30-19 lead.
A Clarkson free throw brought the Lakers within five, but Johnson fired in a 3-pointer minutes later to extend the margin to 55-45 with 1:17 left. Alan Anderson closed the scoring in the half with a pair of free throws to give Brooklyn a 61-50 lead at the break.
The teams were even in the third quarter, and the Nets led 85-74 entering the fourth.
Game Notes
The Lakers close their five-game road trip on Monday in Philadelphia ... Jeremy Lin did not dress for Los Angeles because of an upper respiratory infection, and the Lakers' Carlos Boozer did not play because of a coach's decision ... Deron Williams had 13 points and a game-high nine assists for Brooklyn ... The Nets host Indiana on Tuesday in a game with playoff implications.
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