After Paul Pierce went 4-of-4 shooting from three in the first quarter for 17 points, it was clear that it was going to be a good night in Brooklyn.

The Truth scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the first frame, and big bench contributions after that helped the Nets close out a 108-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Following the victory, No. 34 explained how he was able to shoot so well right out of the gates.

“It feels good,” Pierce said. “The ball is moving, it’s finding the open man. Once you knock the first couple down, you feel like you’re on fire…As a scorer,

[and] I’ve been a scorer all my life, all you got to do is see one go in. [Then] you feel like all of them are going to go in. … Different guys are going to be the benefactor of that on different nights, and I was tonight.”

Paul knocked down his first two triples from up top to help the Nets out to a 9-0 spurt. He then took a kickout from point guard Deron Williams and canned another trifecta. No. 34 then made it four from nearly the same spot, just to the left of the key up top.

He also added five points from the charity stripe for 17 in the quarter, though Cleveland was able to match Brooklyn’s 29-point first-quarter output. Williams, who assisted on two of Paul’s triples in the first, was happy to see his veteran teammate provide an early spark.

“It was great for him to come out and get us started and get us going, and then that second group kind of finished it off,” Williams said of Paul.

The second unit picked up right where Pierce and Williams left off in the second. Alan Anderson, Andray Blatche and Marcus Thornton combined for 18 points, while Paul added another five in the next 12 minutes. Meanwhile, the Nets picked up on defense to take an 11-point lead into the second half, 61-50.

At that point, Paul’s work was mostly finished. From there, the rest of the Nets filled in to keep the Cavs at bay and close out a comfortable victory. The Truth spoke afterward about the depth and great team play shown by Brooklyn that will carry it come playoff time.

“That’s who we are,” Paul said of the Nets’ team play. “If we’re going to go anywhere in this playoffs, we’re a team full of depth. We’ve got a number of guys that can beat you on any given night, it’s not really surrounded around one particular guy. Tonight I was our leading scorer, but then it can be somebody else tomorrow, the next game and that’s what makes us so dangerous.”

The win was No. 12 in a row at home for Brooklyn. As Paul told reporters after the contest, the win and the streak is a testament to the team’s turnaround. Fans at the Barclays Center were critical of their team early in the season, but the boos have since been replaced with chants of “Brook-lyn.”

“We got a great rhythm at home. It sure beats us getting booed earlier in the year,” No. 34 said. “We’re playing well here and feeling comfortable in our home turf.”

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