Nets 109, 76ers 89
PHILADELPHIA -- Deron Williams scored 22 points, and Reggie Evans grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds Tuesday night as the Brooklyn Nets routed the Philadelphia 76ers 109-89.
Backup center Andray Blatche, who according to a New York Times report was questioned by police (but not charged) in an investigation of a sexual assault at a Philadelphia hotel earlier in the day, added 20 points for the Nets (20-15).
Brooklyn won its fourth consecutive game and improved to 6-1 under interim coach P.J. Carlesimo, who replaced the fired Avery Johnson on Dec. 27.
Joe Johnson added 15 points for the Nets, and Brook Lopez had 13.
Jrue Holiday scored 19 points to pace Philadelphia (15-21), which dropped its fourth straight, its third straight by 20 points or more. The Sixers, who were playing their first home game since Dec. 21, also fell for the sixth time in seven games. They went 2-6 on an eight-game road trip.
Brooklyn forward Gerald Wallace notched 10 of his 11 points in the third quarter, when the Nets outscored the Sixers 35-14 to extend a 48-47 halftime lead to 83-61. Williams added nine points in the period, which saw Brooklyn equal the highest total by a Philadelphia opponent in a third quarter this year. The Nets also limited the Sixers to their lowest total in that period.
Evans, who began the game averaging 8.3 rebounds, scored just two points on the night, but he had seven of his boards in the pivotal third quarter. Neither he nor any of the Nets' other starters played in the fourth quarter, when Brooklyn led by as many as 26 points.
The Nets are Evans' sixth team in an 11-year NBA career. He spent the 2007-08 and '08-09 seasons with the Sixers.
In all, the Nets enjoyed a 50-32 rebounding advantage.
Williams had 13 points in the first half, which saw the Nets claim a 48-47 lead. Holiday and Spencer Hawes countered with 12 points for the Sixers, who shot 50 percent from the field before the break, compared to 38.1 percent for Brooklyn. Evans had 16 of his rebounds in the first half, when Brooklyn had a 25-19 edge on the boards.
Hawes finished with 14 points for the Sixers, who wound up shooting 48.1 percent. The Nets hit 48.2 percent from the floor overall.
NOTES: Carlesimo had no comment before the game when asked about the Times report. Blatche was not available for comment beforehand. ... The Sixers signed rookie guard Maalik Wayns to a 10-day contract, two days after cutting him. Wayns scored five points in nine minutes. ... Nets guard Jerry Stackhouse, an ex-Sixer, was not with the team because of personal reasons, but forward Kris Humphries returned after missing the previous two with an ankle sprain. Humphries scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in 10 minutes. ... Sixers guard Kwame Brown also missed the game for personal reasons.
