NBA Playoffs 2014 Bracket, Teams & Standings: Nets Beats Rockets at Home to Clinch Playoff Berth

The Brooklyn Nets garnered a playoff berth by defeating the Houston Rockets in their home court. The last time that the Nets succeeded in winning over the Rockets at home was on March 31, 2003. 

The Nets, led by Joe Johnson, scored 105 points against the Rockets' 96 on April 1, 2014, according to an ESPN report. Johnson scored 32 points while Shaun Livingston scored 17 points for New Jersey. The Nets have now won 14 straight games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This is the longest streak in the current NBA season, as well as the history of the franchise. Against Western Conference teams, the New Jersey Nets are 18-12 and 40-33 in the season to attain an Eastern Conference playoffs berth.

Yahoo! Sports writes that Johnson made 13 out of 21 shots from the field and made four out of eight three-point shots. Deron Williams also made 12 points for the Nets.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets finished the game with 26 points, making all of his 16 free throw shots. Chandler Parsons scored 16 points and made eight rebounds, while Omer Asik had 12 points and 23 rebounds. Dwight Howard, the powerful center of Houston, remained in the sidelines due to a left ankle sprain. 

The New Jersey Nets are within one and a half games of Chicago and Toronto to attain the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, says a Times Union report. Nets had a bad start in the season with a 10-21 run but made team adjustments to end up in its present winning state.

Livingston said that they have been practicing to win home court games. The Nets have been playing well against Western Conference Teams. Johnson added that he initially did not like the way things were going for the Nets at the start of the season but he later convinced himself that they were going to improve as a team at the start of 2014 by changing their mindset.