Plumlee's 22 propels Nets past Kings

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Mason Plumlee continued his impressive play, scoring a team high 22 points, as the Nets held on to beat the Sacramento Kings 107-99, on Monday night. The Nets have now won four of their last five games and improved to 14-16 on the season.

For Sacramento, Rudy Gay led the way in scoring with 25 points and DeMarcus Cousins added a double-double, scoring 24 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for the Kings. The Kings’ loss Monday night marked their 13th loss in the past 17 games.

For the Nets, Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack scored 16 points apiece and Brook Lopez chipped in 11 points off the bench. The Nets bounced back from a 25-point loss to Indiana and will look to win their second straight game tomorrow night in Chicago.

The Nets led 93-83 with 5:53 left in the fourth quarter. Then, Gay went on to score five unanswered points, cutting the Brooklyn lead to 93-88 with 5:12 to play.

Bosnian forward Mirza Teletovic led the Nets an 8-2 run with a pair of 3-pointers and Plumlee scored on a layup to increase Brooklyn’s lead to double digits. The Nets were able to maintain the lead for the rest of the way.

“It’s all coming together, ” Kevin Garnett said. “We’re playing more consistent.”

Brooklyn Nets coach Lionel Hollins has no intention of changing his starting lineup — even if it means that max players Deron Williams and Brook Lopez will continue coming off the bench.

“This is the Brooklyn Nets,” Hollins stated after his team’s 107-99 win over the Kings Monday night. “Yes, they were starters, but they’ve been in and out of the lineup. And if you note, while they were out we started playing better and winning, so why would I go back and change the lineup for now?”