As the playoffs approach, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd has preached to his team that the time to focus and finish strong has arrived.

On Sunday night, the Nets continued to respond to their coach’s message.

Minnesota Timberwolves v Brooklyn Nets

After handily defeating the Cavaliers 108-97 on Friday night, the Nets continued their three-game homestand with a 114-99 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night behind a dominant effort in the fourth quarter. The win was the 13th-straight at home for Brooklyn, matching a franchise record for consecutive home wins.

Since Jan.1, the team is 18-2 at home and 28-12 overall, both marks good for best in the Eastern Conference, but Coach Kidd was modest about the success, with full knowledge that it will mean little if they don’t finish strong.

“It’s basketball,” he said.” You’re going to have your ups and downs. Early on we didn’t play well and right now we are. But guys are professional, they’re getting their work in at practice and in their pre-game routines, just paying and getting their work in, and making sure they’re getting rest this time of the year. It must be working.”

The Nets got off to a fast start offensively, but it took them a while to pull away from a worth adversary in the Timberwolves, who came to Brooklyn fresh off of a 143-107 thrashing of the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.

Four minutes into the game, Minnesota had pulled ahead 12-6, but sets of free throws from Mason Plumlee and Deron Williams, and a huge 3-pointer from Paul Pierce pulled the Nets right back into it.

After piling up 17 points in the opening quarter against Cleveland on Friday, Pierce continued his hot streak against Minnesota with 16 points in the first, including a perfect 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc.

“He understands what these games mean and getting off to a good start, and he’s done that for us,” Coach Kidd said about Pierce’s strong starts as of late. “Hopefully he can keep that up.”

But on the opposite end, Kevin Martin had nine points while Kevin Love added seven to match Pierce’s 16, and neither team could pull away.

Coach Kidd’s Nets did however showcase their defensive hustle as Shaun Livingston raced down the court after an offensive miscue, to deny Luc Richard Mbah a Moute an easy look at the basket with a few minutes left in the quarter. The play loomed large as Brooklyn led by just one possession. 30-27, after one.

The second quarter saw the Nets’ bench continue its stellar play. Marcus Thornton and Andray Blatche helped Brooklyn jump out to a nine-point lead with 7:58 left in the half. A Mizra Teletovic three-pointer with 6:11 to go gave the Nets their largest lead of the game to that point at 49-36.

However, Minnesota’s starters reentered the game and helped cut into Brooklyn’s lead down to five in a little over three minutes. With 2:43 remaining in the half and his team falling in love with the three-ball, Coach Kidd knew he needed to stop the bleeding, so he took a well-placed timeout to settle down his squad.

The timeout worked, as Brooklyn was able to stabilize and carry a 59-54 lead in the break. At the half, the Nets were shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from downtown. The bench had 24 of Brooklyn’s 59 points.

Things did not go so well for Brooklyn in the third, as Minnesota was able to take advantage of a string of Nets turnovers to grab a five-point lead halfway through the frame.

However, Kidd’s Nets remained calm under pressure and strung together buckets on three consecutive possessions to tie the game at 72. From there, Brooklyn never looked back.

Minnesota Timberwolves v Brooklyn Nets

Although the team only led 85-82 heading into the fourth quarter, an emphatic string of dunks by Livingston and Blatche gave the Nets confidence and momentum as they entered the final frame.

Coach Kidd’s team buckled down defensively in the fourth to finally pull away from the T-Wolves. Brooklyn’s staunch defense forced five turnovers from Minnesota in the quarter and recorded four steals while holding Minnesota to just 39.8 percent shooting from the field in the fourth.

Perhaps most impressive was the fact that the Nets outrebounded the T-Wolves 12-10. A pair of Livingston free throws with 2:09 remaining in the contest gave the Nets a 109-97 advantage and iced the game, as Minnesota then sent in their reserves.

With the victory, Coach Kidd’s squad ends March with a 12-4 record, matching a franchise record for March victories set in 2002. The team’s 13-game home winning streak is also a league-leading mark.

Pierce led the way for the team with his 22 points, four rebounds and three assists. Johnson added 19 points of his own and Plumlee and Livingston each had 13.

Once again, the team relied heavily on outside shooting, something Coach Kidd said he is comfortable with as long as the ball is moving and the team is getting it into the post before electing to kick out.

“You play to your strengths,” Kidd said. “Joe

[Johnson], in that third quarter, was great at running the pick and roll and taking advantage of that. We’re getting a lot of great looks from three. Off the bench, Alan stepped up and made three of them, so we have quite a few guys who can make the three. It’s about making the ball touch the paint and working inside-out. Right now that’s what we’re doing very well.”

NEXT UP

The Nets (39-33) finish up their three-game homestand on Tuesday against the Houston Rockets (49-23).

The teams last squared off in Houston on Nov. 29 when the Rockets defeated Brooklyn 114-95. If the Nets can reverse that fortune, a victory will lock their place in the playoffs.

Tip-off of the rematch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday and the game can be seen on TNT.

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