Nets 96, Bulls 80: Deron Williams scored 20 points and Joe Johnson added 19 as host Brooklyn cruised past sloppy Chicago.

Williams and Johnson combined to shoot 13-of-22 from the field for the Nets, who won their third straight game to return to the .500 mark for the season. Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston added 14 apiece while Andray Blatche chipped in 11 in a reserve role.

D.J. Augustin's 16 points off the bench paced the Bulls, who committed a whopping 28 turnovers and looked listless after routing the New York Knicks 109-90 a day earlier. Jimmy Butler had 13 points while Taj Gibson added 12.

Brooklyn set the tone early, scoring the first eight points of the game and breaking out to a double-digit advantage on Livingston's 17-foot jumper 4:38 in. A short Joakim Noah jumper made it a one-possession game late in the second quarter, but Pierce countered with a basket and Johnson scored seven straight points to send the Nets into the break ahead 50-42.

Brooklyn pulled away in the third, getting a 3-pointer from Johnson and a three-point play from Pierce to extend the advantage to 16. Williams went on a tear to end the quarter - scoring the Nets' final seven points - and added a 3-pointer with 5:58 remaining after Chicago had closed to within single digits.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Nets had been below .500 since opening the season 2-2. ... Noah finished with 10 points, six rebounds and one assist just one day after recording his fifth career triple-double. ... Chicago won the rebounding battle 43-28, but allowed the Nets to score 30 points off turnovers.