The Charlotte Hornets welcomed the Brooklyn team to the Spektrum Center. The guests from the suburbs of New York celebrated with a convincing 106:123 and continued with victories, now they have 11 in a row.
Kyrie Irving was the most efficient with 28 points, Kevin Durant followed him with 23. Already at the start of the game in the first part, Brooklyn gained a double-digit lead, which it increased from quarter to quarter.
“We allowed them only 22 points in the first half, so we quickly got to an advantage that was easy for us to maintain in the rest of the game,” said Nets coach Jacques Von. “I think we could have done better in certain situations, and made a bigger difference much earlier, but this is also great,” concluded Von.
Royce O’Neale and Nic Claxton scored 14 points each, Watanabe added 11, and Warren added 10 points.
On the other side, LaMelo Ball scored 23 points and had 11 assists, along with seven rebounds. Plumlee played the most efficient game of the season with 22 points.
After the Hornets cut it to 71:65 early in the third period, Irving and Durant took matters into their own hands and scored 11 of the next 13 points for Brooklyn, and led their team to a serious advantage of 97:79 before the decisive 12 minutes.
“We knew that the Hornets could enter the series, they have good shooters in the team. They showed that in the third quarter, but we had a ready answer,’ Durant said.
Brooklyn is second in the East, just behind Boston, with a 24-12 record, while the Hornets are next to last with 10-27. In the next round, the Nets welcome the Spurs and hope to continue their winning streak, while the Hornets will host the Lakers.
