Caris LeVert scored 22 points and the Brooklyn Nets clinched a playoff spot for the second straight season with a 119-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings at The Arena near Orlando on Friday.

The Nets (33-36) improved to 3-2 since the restart and rebounded nicely from a 149-115 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night. Brooklyn is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one game ahead of the Orlando Magic, whom they face Tuesday.

LeVert made 9 of 21 shots and also handed out seven assists as the Nets shot 48.8 percent, made 17 3-pointers and handed out 30 assists. LeVert also had plenty of support as Brooklyn saw six other players score in double figures and led for the final 32:09.

Joe Harris added 21 points and center Jarrett Allen nearly posted a triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Chris Chiozza and Tyler Johnson added 14 points apiece, Garrett Temple contributed 12 points, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot added 10.

The Kings (29-40) fell to 1-4 since the restart after going 10-5 in their final 15 games before the pause on March 11. Sacramento dropped to 13th in the Western Conference, one half-game behind New Orleans and 3 1/2 games behind eighth-place Memphis.

Bogdan Bogdanovic led Sacramento with 27 points on 11-of-19 shooting. De'Aaron Fox added 21, Harrison Barnes contributed 16 points and Buddy Hield came off the bench to score 17, but the Kings shot 42.7 percent and committed 15 turnovers

Neither team shot well in a close opening quarter but the Kings ended the period by hitting six free throws in a 10-4 spurt to get a 27-24 advantage. The Nets took control midway through the second held a 63-49 cushion on a jumper by LeVert with 1:21 left and maintained a 63-53 lead at halftime.

Brooklyn upped its lead to 78-62 on two free throws by Temple with 7:39 remaining in the third but Sacramento held the Nets scoreless for 3:22 and used a 12-0 run to get within 78-74 on a layup by Barnes with 5:03 left. The Nets regained their footing and took a 93-82 lead into the fourth on a 3-pointer by LeVert with 11.7 seconds remaining.

Brooklyn iced the game midway through the fourth, taking a 103-86 lead on a layup by Allen with eight minutes remaining and opened a 113-93 lead on a layup by Harris with 4:50 to go.

--Field Level Media