LeVert starts, ties career best with 29 as Nets beat Suns

NEW YORK (AP) — Caris LeVert tied his career high with 29 points in his first start in nearly three months, helping the Brooklyn Nets overcome the absence of Kyrie Irving to beat the Phoenix Suns 119-97 on Monday night.

LeVert snapped out of a slump on offense and played a key role in a strong defensive effort that limited Suns star Devin Booker to 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting.

Joe Harris added 16 points and Taurean Prince had 11 of his 15 in the decisive third quarter for the Nets, who will be without Irving at least for this week after he sprained his right knee Saturday at Washington.

So Spencer Dinwiddie went back into the starting lineup at point guard and LeVert made his first start since Nov. 10. After that, he had right thumb surgery and missed the next 24 games.

A starter in the first nine games of the season, LeVert had struggled in his bench role lately, shooting just 3 for 14 for a total of nine points over the previous two games.

He broke out with some nice drives to the basket along with two 3-pointers and 7-for-7 shooting from the foul line. He even added seven assists.

Deandre Ayton had 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Suns, who were even with the Nets for most of the first half but then ran out of gas after halftime in the second of their back-to-back games and lost their third straight.

Neither team led by more than six in a first half that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes and ended with Brooklyn ahead 55-52. LeVert and Prince each scored 11 points in the third, combining for one more than Phoenix had as a team.

With the Nets leading by five, Prince had two 3-pointers and LeVert a three-point play in a 13-0 burst that made it 78-60 midway through the third. Brooklyn went on to lead by as much as 26.

TIP-INS

Suns: The Suns got Ricky Rubio back in the lineup after he missed their loss in Milwaukee on Sunday with right ankle soreness, but they’re still weakened by injuries up front to Dario Saric and Aron Baynes. … Booker had scored 29 or more points in 11 straight road games.

Nets: Brooklyn snapped a seven-game losing streak against Western Conference teams. The Nets’ last victory over one had been at New Orleans on Dec. 17. … Dinwiddie had 14 points.

UP NEXT

Suns: Visit Detroit on Wednesday.

Nets: Host Golden State on Wednesday.