Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
Joe Johnson driving during Wednesday night's game against the Thunder. Johnson hit 8 of 11 shots and had 20 points in the first half.
OKLAHOMA CITY — A smile crossed Deron Williams's face late Wednesday, a new, joyful look to usher in a new calendar year, along with what appeared to be an entirely new Nets team.
The Nets hustled, passed, defended, skipped around the court and hit shots from various places and angles. Their offense flowed, their defense held and everyone looked a little livelier in a 110-93 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It was easily the Nets' biggest win of the season, because of both the opponent — the defending Western Conference champions — and the timing, coming on the heels of a 5-11 December.
"To bounce back and come out and play like this — hopefully, we just can realize that this is how we can play every night, and how we should play," Williams said.
Asked what changed, Williams said: "It's a new year. It's 2013."
Joe Johnson led the Nets with 33 points. Williams had 19 points, 13 assists and a season-high 5 steals and looked entirely unburdened by whatever had ailed him all season. He looked neither injured, nor uncomfortable, nor lacking confidence as he expertly steered the offense all night, leading the Nets (17-15) to their first victory over a winning team since November.
The Thunder were so frustrated by the night's events — both the Nets and the officiating — that Kevin Durant was ejected for barking at the referee Danny Crawford with 1 minute 57 seconds left.
Durant finished with 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 10 assists for the Thunder (24-7).
It was the Nets' first victory in Oklahoma City (in four visits) and their first victory against the Thunder in eight tries, and it ended the Thunder's 12-game home winning streak.
The Thunder tied the score only once in the second half, at 85-85 with about seven minutes to play. But the Nets never surrendered the lead, and they closed the game with a 25-8 run.
In so many ways, this simply looked like a different Nets team. Even in a tight fourth quarter, they seemed looser. Williams and Keith Bogans laughed as they walked to the bench for a timeout after Bogans shot an air ball from the arc.
The Nets had a 23-point lead in the second quarter and a 16-point lead at halftime. As one would expect, the Thunder came roaring back in the third quarter. Durant and Westbrook fueled a 21-8 run with a combination of 3-pointers and electrifying fast-break dunks, cutting the Nets' lead to 71-68.
Brook Lopez answered with two quick baskets as the Nets momentarily held off the charge. They closed the third with a 76-72 lead and with Coach P. J. Carlesimo bellowing angrily at Kris Humphries for a poor pass that prevented another Nets score before the buzzer.
Gerald Wallace returned to the lineup after a one-game absence and spent most of his night wrestling with Durant, doing his best to throw him off rhythm. Durant mostly had his way, although he did not attempt a free throw until the 1:06 mark of the third quarter.
Thunder Coach Scott Brooks spent half of his pregame session praising the Nets, as if their disastrous December had never happened, and as if he knew they had a second life in them.
He called Williams "one of the best point guards in the game," despite his season-long struggles, and called Lopez "one of the best bigs in the league at scoring the basketball."
Brooks concluded, presciently, "I'm sure eventually it's going to click, and they're going to turn it around."
At halftime, the Nets held a 61-45 lead, setting the stage for either their greatest victory of the season or the most gut-wrenching collapse one could imagine.
Johnson, Williams and Lopez combined for 42 points in the half, while making 17 of 28 shots. Johnson hit 8 of 11 shots and had 20 points — more than he had scored in any of his previous five games. Williams had nine assists by halftime, more than in his previous two games combined.
Despite the massive gap in won-loss records and accomplishments, the Nets had an unusual confidence playing against the Thunder. They lost to the Thunder on Dec. 4 in Brooklyn, 117-111, but only after rallying back from a 16-point deficit and scoring 63 points in the second half. Williams had one of his best performances of the season that night, with 33 points.
The first half Wednesday looked like a continuation of the first game. For 24 minutes, the Nets could seemingly do no wrong. Williams and Johnson hit a barrage of 3-pointers. Lopez scored inside and out. Even an awkward Andray Blatche runner bounced softly off the backboard in the final seconds of the first quarter, giving the Nets a 33-19 lead. They extended the lead to 23 points on a Blatche layup in the second quarter.
Lopez finished with 25 points and 5 rebounds.
REBOUNDS
P. J. Carlesimo had a 1-12 record when the Thunder fired him in 2008, replacing him with Scott Brooks, who became coach of the year in 2009 and presided over the Thunder's rise to Western Conference champions. Brooks said he learned a lot from Carlesimo, in particular his attention to detail. "Every second is well managed and thought out," Brooks said. "Every drill is thought out. He's a perfectionist. He wants to do well every day." He added, "You want him to have success because he's a good guy." ...C. J. Watson was in uniform but did not play because of a bruised right knee. The rookie Tyshawn Taylor took his spot in the rotation, playing nine minutes. It was the first game Watson missed this season, leaving Joe Johnson and Andray Blatche as the only Nets to play in every game. ...Jerry Stackhouse was held out of the game because of a sore right hamstring.
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