The Brooklyn Nets (26-53) snapped a five-game home losing streak with a 119-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans (21-58) on Tuesday, April 8, thanks to a strong performance from Trendon Watford, who scored 22 points.
Drew Timme added 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and his three-point play with 4:06 remaining in the third quarter gave the Nets their first double-digit lead of the game at 83-71.
New Orleans mounted a late rally, with Antonio Reeves making a reverse layup and converting the free throw to cut the deficit to 116-109 with 1:29 left. After a Timme miss, Reeves hit a 3-pointer at 53.1 seconds to make it a four-point game. However, Tosan Evbuomwan sealed the win for Brooklyn with a 3-pointer of his own at the other end with 35 seconds remaining.
Dariq Whitehead contributed 14 points, including 12 in the first half, while Evbuomwan and Nic Claxton each added 13. Maxwell Lewis scored 12 and Tyson Etienne chipped in 11. Reece Beekman posted a career-high 10 assists with just one turnover.
For New Orleans, Reeves and Karlo Matkovic each scored 17 points. Jose Alvarado added 16, Jamal Cain had 15, and Keion Brooks Jr. contributed 14. Elfrid Payton finished with 10 assists.
The Pelicans have now lost four straight road games and sit at 7-33 away from home. With a lottery-bound season, New Orleans has been dealing with injuries to seven of its top eight scorers, including Zion Williamson.
Brooklyn completed a season sweep of New Orleans for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign. The Nets scored 43 points in the third quarter, their highest point total in any quarter this season, and finished 17-of-40 from beyond the arc, with Whitehead hitting 4-of-6 in the first half.
Both teams will be back in action on Thursday. The Pelicans continue their road trip in Milwaukee, while the Nets host the Atlanta Hawks.
