BROOKLYN (AP)—Trendon Watford led with 22 points, Drew Timme contributed 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds from the bench, helping the Brooklyn Nets defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-114 on Tuesday evening, ending their five-game skid at home.
With 4:06 left in the third quarter, Timme sealed a three-point play, giving the Nets their first double-digit advantage of the game at 83-71.
The Pelicans mounted a comeback. With 1:29 remaining, Antonio Reeves executed a reverse layup while drawing contact and converted the ensuing free throw to bring New Orleans within 116-109. Following Timme’s missed shot, Reeves nailed a three-pointer at the 53.1-second mark, narrowing the gap to just four points.
However, Tosan Evbuomwan clinched it with a three-point shot from the opposite side with only 35 seconds remaining.
In the first half, Dariq Whitehead contributed 12 out of his total 14 points towards Brooklyn’s score (26-53). Both Evbuomwan and Nic Claxton netted 13 points apiece, Maxwell Lewis added 12, and Tyson Etienne chipped in with 11. Reece Beekman achieved a personal best with 10 assists against only one turnover during the game.
Karlo and Reeves Matkovic both notched 17 points for New Orleans (21-58). Jose Alvarado contributed an additional 16 points, Jamal Cain tallied 15, and Keion Brooks Jr. scored 14. Elfrid Payton ended up with 10 assists.
New Orleans has now lost their fourth consecutive match played away from home and have an overall record of 7-33 when not playing at New Orleans.
Takeaways
The lottery-bound Pelicans, experiencing their poorest performance in two decades, have sidelined seven out of their top eight leading scorers due to significant injuries, notably including Zion Williamson.
The Nets: Brooklyn achieved a season sweep of New Orleans for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Key moment
The Nets managed to score 43 points in the third quarter, which allowed them to create some distance between themselves and their opponents. This was the highest number of points they scored in a single quarter all season.
Key stat
In the game, Brooklyn netted 17 out of 40 three-point shots, including Dariq Whitehead who hit 4 of his initial 6 tries from beyond the arc in the first half.
Up next
On Thursday, both squads take the court. The New Orleans team proceeds with their away game in Milwaukee, whereas the Brooklyn Nets welcome the Atlanta Hawks to town.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
The Associated Press