The Brooklyn Nets were prepared to host the New Orleans Pelicans. They came into the game, tied for first in the East after a win over the New York Knicks. On the other hand, the Pelicans came in one game behind Golden State in the race for a play-in spot in the West. Peculiarly, they were just within a half-game 2 days earlier. After it was all set and done, the hopes of a play-in spot for Nola quickly dwindled.
The Nets and Pelicans kept it close for much of the first quarter. The largest advantage by either team was three points until the 4:23 mark. At that point, a layup by Jeff Green put his team up by 6. However, the Pelicans always had an answer. The game was all tied up at 33 with 5.8 seconds left. Blake Griffin ended the quarter with a basket from downtown, and the Nets went into the second up 36-33.
At the start of the second quarter, the Nets took an 8-point lead forcing the Pelicans to call a timeout. They were becoming lax defensively and allowed lots of wide-open shots. After talking it over, the Pelicans cut it to 6, but that is as close as they got. Eventually, The Nets took an 18-point advantage with 2 minutes to go. Kyrie Irving was sent to the line at the buzzer, where he made both his free throws. It was a 79-59 game at the half.
Kevin Durant hit a three-pointer in the first minute of the third quarter. Durant has not stepped foot on the court since February 13th. He made sure to make his presence felt tonight. The Pelicans found themselves in hot water as they were down by as much as 26 about the halfway point. From there, it would not get any better for them. The Nets took a 115-82 lead going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, it was all Nets. They put up 130 points with about 5 minutes left. Three-pointers were dropping like flies. The team knocked down 19 shots from behind the arc. The Pelicans, on the other hand, could not get anything to fall. They were 38-of-89 from the field and 6-of-27 from three. As a result, the Nets crushed the Pelicans 139-111.
Irving led the team with 24 points, Aldridge had 14, and Durant contributed 17. As a whole, the Nets finished with a season-high 37 assists, without their leader in assists – James Harden. They now improve to 9-0 at home since the beginning of March.
Durant noted that he felt comfortable in his first game back and not much has changed in about 2 months.
“It was an easy adjustment to just get back into the swing of things,” he said. “Coach Nash drew up a play for me the first time I got in the game and I scored,” he added. “That kind of relaxed me a bit.”
Up Next:
The Pelicans will fly back home to Host the 76ers on Friday, April 9th at 8:00pm.
The Nets will stay put and host the Lakers on Saturday, April 10th at 8:30pm.
