Johnson hits 10 3-pointers to lead Nets to win over 76ers

NEW YORK -- Joe Johnson torched the Philadelphia 76ers to the tune of a season-high 37 points, 29 in the third quarter alone, to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 130-94 victory at Barclays Center Monday night.

Imagine what the veteran guard could have done if he was feeling good.

Johnson proved burying 3-pointers -- and the 76ers -- was the best medicine to the illness he's been fighting. He was 10-of-14 from beyond the arc, a season high in the NBA.

"I'm taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that," Johnson said. "I'm starting to feel a little better and this win definitely helps it."

Johnson was one 3-pointer shy of tying a franchise record set by guard Deron Williams last year and he never stepped on the court in the fourth quarter. Nets coach Jason Kidd asked if he wanted to come out, but Johnson declined.

"Guys were telling me I needed like one more three to break the (team) record, but I wasn't worried about it," Johnson said. "Most importantly we want to try to keep guys healthy and get some of these other guys a chance to play."

Johnson's spectacular third-quarter performance, in which he scored 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field, including eight 3-pointers, helped pace the Nets to their most lopsided victory of the year and their fourth win in the last five games.

"Oh man it was amazing," forward Andray Blatche said. "He came out there with high confidence. He's a little sick, but he wasn't going to let that hold him back. He came out and caught fire. I've been in that situation before. I know how it feels."

While the Nets have 59 man games lost due to injury and illness, Johnson has been the rock. The six-time NBA All-Star has played in each of the Nets' 24 games.

"He's been the one horse that's been consistent for us, so we've asked him to play for 40 minutes when he's had more than one injury," Kidd said. "He's a guy who never complains. He just goes out there and does his job."

Brooklyn (9-15) opened the second half on a 17-3 run, capped by a Johnson trifecta to take a 75-51 lead with 7:13 left in the third quarter. He then ended the quarter with a 3-pointer in front of the Philadelphia bench while being fouled by swingman James Anderson, to give Brooklyn a 100-73 lead into the fourth quarter.

"I've been in the league since like Moses, not too much I ain't seen," Nets forward Kevin Garnett said. "It's the best feeling in the world. You're so happy for the guy."

With Williams (13 points, season-high 13 assists) leading the way, the Nets made the extra pass and had a season-high 35 assists for 47 field goals. Blatche had 20 points, guard Paul Pierce had 14 points and swingman Alan Anderson added 13 points for the Nets, which set a franchise record with 21 3-pointers.

It was the second game the Sixers gave up 21 3-pointers.

"Everyone is just moving the ball against us good and we kind of get broken down into a scramble and when we scramble it's not a good thing," said Anderson, who scored a team-high 17 points. "They are finding the open guys and knocking down shots."

Forward Mirza Teletovic, who made his first start in his 70th career NBA game, scored 11 points in the first half, including five straight points to give Brooklyn a 56-38 lead, its largest of the first half.

Philadelphia (7-19), which trailed 32-22 after one quarter, ended the second quarter on an 8-0 run capped by a 3-pointer by Anderson to head into the locker room down 10, 58-48, at the break.

The Sixers' hopes of a comeback, though, were dashed in the third quarter thanks to Johnson's lights-out shooting as Philadelphia dropped its seventh straight and 11th in its last 12 games.

"You've seen Dirk Nowitzki have some great performances, you've seen Kevin Durant go bananas," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. "Joe Johnson is a big man making tough shots. The problem started when we allowed him to get going."

NOTES: Nets C Brook Lopez missed his second consecutive game due to a sprained left knee. It is the ninth game he missed this season due to injury. "Brook's a competitor and he wants to play," Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd said before the game. "For the medical staff and myself, I just felt it was a risk if he wasn't 100 percent. Again, guys won't be 100 percent throughout the season, but he wasn't moving as well as I would have liked." ... The Nets were also without F Andrei Kirilenko (back spasms) and G Jason Terry (bruised left knee). ... Out with injuries for Philadelphia were F Arnett Moultrie (left ankle), C Nerlens Noel (left knee) and G Michael Carter-Williams (skin infection), while C Daniel Orton served a one-game suspension for an altercation with Portland Trail Blazers C Meyers Leonard on Saturday night. ... Brooklyn plays host to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, while Philadelphia next hosts the Nets on Friday.