EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Rookie Terrence Williams scored 14 points and had a career-high 14 assists and the New Jersey Nets posted their biggest win of the season with a 115-87 decision over the slumping New Orleans Hornets on Saturday night.
Chris Douglas-Roberts scored 17 points, and Chris Humphries added 10 points and tied a season-high with 12 rebounds as New Jersey (11-65) shot a season-high 58.2 percent in sending the Hornets to their third straight loss and 11th in 14 games.
The Nets had eight players score in double figures and two others with at least seven points in winning for the fourth time in six games.
David West had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead New Orleans.
The Nets never trailed after Brook Lopez (12 points) converted a three-point play with 4:30 left in the first quarter.
New Jersey led 30-24 after the opening period and pushed the lead to 17 points in a second quarter dominated by Williams. He had 12 points and five assists and was a one-man highlight shot.
Williams hit a variety of shots, driving the lane for an awesome dunk, tossing in an off-balance 20-footer that beat the shot clock and waking up the crowd with an electrifying dunk on alley-oop from Devin Harris.
New Jersey shot almost 54 percent from the field in taking a 59-47 halftime lead, but it had to fight off one run by New Orleans in the third quarter.
Yi Jianlian hit three jumpers early in the quarter to help the Nets take a 69-53 lead.
The Hornets drew within seven points on several occasions, the last time at 78-71 on two free throws by West with 1:46 left in the quarter.
Keyon Dooling then beat the shot clock with a jumper, Josh Boone scored on a dunk off Williams' feed and Humphries nailed a jumper for an 84-71 lead.
When New Jersey opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run capped by a Williams slam, the game was over and so was the Hornets' five-game winning streak over New Jersey.
Notes
Nets official scorer Herb Turetzky worked his 1,100th consecutive game. … Harris had a monster block on a fast-break layup attempt by Darren Collison late in the third quarter, sending the ball into the first row of the fans on the sideline. … New Orleans was 1-of-11 from 3-point range. The Nets were 4-of-9. … The teams split two games this season, with New Orleans winning 103-99 at home on Jan. 8. … The Hornets have lost 12 of 13 on the road.