The Nets didn’t have time to recover from Sunday night’s 20 3-pointers in Chicago before the same problem followed them home. One night later at Barclays Center, Brooklyn watched the Phoenix Suns rain down 20 more from deep in a 126-117 loss that dropped it to 12-29 at the season’s halfway point.

Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points and six 3-pointers, Devin Booker poured in 24 and Collin Gillespie added 22.

Michael Porter Jr. finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in Brooklyn’s loss.

“Right now, [we’re] not finishing possessions and not getting back,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “I mean, they made 3s in transition and they made 3s out of second chance… I think that every time we control the fast break or our transition defense is good and every time we rebound, we win games.”

Drake Powell tried to set a different tone early. The rookie returned to the starting lineup and knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers on Brooklyn’s first few possessions, scoring six of the Nets’ first nine points and giving the building a quick lift.

But Phoenix didn’t blink. Brooks drilled his first two attempts from deep. Gillespie hit his first, and the Suns kept pace from the perimeter as Brooklyn struggled to string together stops. Porter went scoreless in the opening quarter in his return from a one-game absence, while Brooks and Booker combined for 18 efficient points as Phoenix shot 71.4% overall and jumped out to a commanding lead after one.

The Nets didn’t find their footing until they were already staring at a 20-point hole. With 4:41 left in the first half, Brooklyn finally flipped a switch, tightening up defensively and turning Phoenix’s early rhythm into a string of empty trips. At the other end, the Nets suddenly couldn’t miss, with Porter and Terance Mann sparking a surge that changed the entire feel of the game.

“I think when we were pushing it and having good runs, we were able to get organized earlier in the shot clock and get good, quality shots,” Mann said. “And every time we did that, I think we were in the game at that point.”

Brooklyn turned that swing into a 24-8 run to close the half, slicing the deficit to four at the break and finishing with Mann drilling a 25-footer off the dribble at the buzzer. The Nets went 8-for-14 from deep in the second quarter while Phoenix cooled to 4-for-13, as Porter scored 13 points on 5-for-6 shooting after a slow start and Ziaire Williams added 10 off the bench in his return from an illness-related absence.

Brooklyn also got another strong stretch from Nolan Traore, who continued his recent run of steady play off the bench. The rookie guard scored 10 points in his first nine minutes on a perfect 3-for-3 start, giving him his second career half with at least 10 points and providing another lift for the Nets’ second unit.

Along with his buzzer-beater, Mann also handed out seven assists in the first half, tied for his most in a game this season. He finished with eight, providing a major playmaking boost with Egor Dëmin sidelined.

“I mean, they’re a great team, and when we went over the scout they told us they’re No. 1 in 3-point attempts in transition and we saw that real quick,” Williams said. “So, they gave us the game plan. It just took us too long to really dial in and we dug ourselves in a little hole. But I’m proud of the guys for fighting, man.”

But the third quarter made it clear Brooklyn’s surge wasn’t going to carry over on its own. Phoenix pushed back hard, piling up 90 points and rebuilding a 13-point lead with 6:02 left in the period. Porter went quiet again, the Nets shot just 36.8%, and the Suns stayed in control behind 10 points from Booker, the only player from either team to reach double figures in the quarter.

Phoenix went 4-for-8 from deep in the period and carried a 103-89 lead into the final frame, leaving Brooklyn with one more chance to chase down a game that had swung wildly before settling back into the Suns’ hands.

Fernández’s team had one more run in it and cut it to four with 4:01 left, but Phoenix regained control with a closing burst that buried the Nets’ latest comeback attempt.

Brooklyn will be in Manhattan Wednesday for a matchup with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.