After finally winning a tight game, the New Jersey Nets will try to carry the momentum into a season-high five-game road trip.
The Nets open the extended jaunt against the struggling Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
New Jersey (28-35) has won four of its last seven following a five-game slide. The three losses in the current stretch came by a combined 10 points against Eastern Conference division leaders Boston and Orlando, and New Orleans - a probable playoff club from the West.
The Nets, third in the Atlantic Division and in the thick of the playoff race, beat New York 106-101 on Sunday behind Devin Harris’ 35 points and 10 assists.
“We’ve been playing good basketball for about seven games now,” Harris said. “We haven’t always played perfectly at the end. (On Sunday) it was our turn. We got stops when we needed to.
“Every game is pivotal. We have to win every game possible. A lot of guys here haven’t been to the playoffs. It feels like that now. We have to bring that type of intensity every night. The effort has been there. We just have to finish the games off.”
Harris has been a big reason for the Nets’ recent strong play, averaging 29.4 points and 9.9 assists over the last seven contests. He leads the team with 22.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game - both career highs.
Despite the overall resurgence, New Jersey has won only four of its last 16 road games after posting victories in seven of the previous eight.
The Nets play their next four games out west before ending the trip against the Knicks on March 18. They return to the Izod Center on March 20 against Miami.
New Jersey dropped its last meeting with Golden State, 105-97 at home on Nov. 1. The Nets have also lost their last three road games against the Warriors (21-42) since their last win at Oracle Arena on Jan. 26, 2005.
Golden State, which has dropped six of its last seven, lost the final three games of its just-completed four-game road trip. All but eliminated from playoff contention already, the Warriors fell 127-120 in Milwaukee on Saturday.
“We are trying to find an identity and finish this year up on a good note and give these young guys some confidence,” Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson said after scoring 23 points and dishing out 11 assists against the Bucks. “The biggest thing for us is to stay as positive as we can and get as many wins as we can.”
Jackson has been doing his part, averaging 25.7 points and 7.7 assists over his last nine games. A hamstring injury forced him to miss two games in that span - both losses. He had 23 points and eight assists in the November win over the Nets.
