Brooklyn’s defense still needs work, but it clicked when it mattered most. 

The Nets held the Kings to 22 fourth-quarter points to pull away for a 127-118 victory on Tuesday, extending the team’s winning streak to seven. 300 fans were in attendance at Barclays Center as the Nets returned from their 5-0 road trip.

The Nets have Bruce Brown to thank as the difference-maker on the night. Brown drained two three-pointers in the fourth quarter on the way to his career-high 29-point night that helped Brooklyn pull away down the stretch. 

Reflecting past struggles, Brooklyn had difficulty in getting defensive stops as six Kings reached double figures in scoring and threatened to overtake momentum in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn started out the night with a fiery offense and 14-point lead in the first quarter while shooting 71.4% but went on to be out-scored by the Kings 68-56 over the next two quarters. 

The Nets went deep into their bench as Kevin Durant was again ruled out due to his hamstring strain. Nic Claxton and Iman Shumpert both made their season debuts while Andre Roberson got extended minutes.

Shumpert, Roberson and Noah Vonleh were all waived after Tuesday’s game, but Shumpert and Roberson are expected to sign 10-day contracts with Brooklyn on Friday, per The Athletic‘s Shams Charania. The Nets are also planning to sign Tyler Cook to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. 

No matter the situation, Brooklyn never seems to be out of a game thanks to the steadying hand of James Harden, who posted his sixth triple-double as a Net. He and Joe Harris combined for 10 of the team’s 17 three-pointers as the team shot 49.4% on the night. 

The Kings shot 15-of-31 from three and held a 54-48 advantage in points in the paint. Tyrese Haliburton had an especially big game for Sacramento with 23 points and nine assists off the bench while De’Aron Fox led the way with 27 points and eight assists.

The takeaways for Brooklyn? Well, there is still room for improvement (and consistency) on defense. But the team has to be encouraged by the energy it received from its extended bench contributions while limiting turnovers to just eight.

Brooklyn’s confidence is tangible. With Durant still absent, the team has shown all-around chemistry along with poise through close contests.

Winning is fun, and the Nets are doing an awful lot of it. The defense still needs work, but Brooklyn closed out when necessary in the fourth quarter on a 14-1 run. 

Next up: The Magic.