Nets 108, Cavaliers 97: Paul Pierce scored 17 of his 22 points in the opening six minutes as Brooklyn defeated Cleveland for its 12th consecutive home victory.

Joe Johnson added 14 points for the Nets, who moved within 1 1/2 games of fourth-place Chicago in the Eastern Conference race. Deron Williams and Alan Anderson scored 13 points apiece for Brooklyn, which went 14-of-29 from 3-point range.

Luol Deng and Dion Waiters scored 20 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who fell 3 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the final playoff spot in the East. Spencer Hawes tallied 16 points and Tristan Thompson added 14 for Cleveland, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.

Brooklyn saw a double-digit lead trimmed to five late in the third quarter and re-established control in the fourth quarter. Andray Blatche hit back-to-back baskets to open the period and Shaun Livingston knocked down two shots as the Nets increased the lead to 15 with 8:15 remaining and cruised to the finish.

Pierce had all 22 points in the first half as the Nets took a 61-50 lead into the break. Cleveland trailed by as many as 14 in the third quarter before cutting its deficit to 85-77 entering the final stanza.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Nets’ record for consecutive home wins is 13, accomplished in both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns. … Waiters was just 6-of-18 from the field and the Cavaliers shot just 42.5 percent. … Pierce was 5-of-6 from 3-point range and has 100 3-pointers, marking the 14th consecutive season in which he has reached the century mark.