Kevin Durant scored 33 points and Kyrie Irving turned it on late in the game as the Brooklyn Nets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 108-102 on Friday.
The Nets, who had seen their 12-game NBA winning streak end at Chicago on Wednesday, trailed 64-53 at half-time but got a grip on the contest in the third quarter.
Durant also grabbed 10 rebounds, the 111th time in his career he has combined 30-plus points with double-figure rebounds.
The Pelicans were without their two star performers with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram both still sidelined with injuries, but they delivered an aggressive performance in what was an intense encounter.
“It was a tale of two halves, even though we didn’t get our shots to fire early on, or throughout the whole game, we just kept on pushing, it was a solid win for us,” said Durant.
Brooklyn improve to 26-13 while the Pelicans are 24-15 after their fifth loss on home court this season.
Chicago 126, Phila 112
The Philadelphia 76ers’ streak of 11 straight home wins came to an end with a 126-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls, who were powered by the three-point shooting of Zach LaVine.
LaVine made 11 of 13 three-pointers and scored 41 points while Nikola Vucevic had a 19-point, 18-rebound, 10-assist, triple-double.
The 76ers were without key man Joel Embiid, who missed his second consecutive game with a sore left foot as their 12-game winning streak against the Bulls ended.
The New York Knicks won their fourth straight game with a 112-108 win at the Toronto Raptors with Julius Randle producing 32 points and 11 rebounds.
The Charlotte Hornets equalled the NBA record for the most point in the opening quarter of game when they put up 51 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Los Angeles Lakers have their first four-game winning streak of the season thanks to a 130-114 victory home victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
LeBron James scored 25 points, pulled down seven rebounds and handed out 10 assists.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic put together his league-leading 10th triple-double of the season, scoring 28 points with 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a 121-108 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Western Conference-leading Nuggets have won nine of their last 10 games.
