D’Angelo Russell had 22 points and 13 assists, and the Nets built up a big enough lead with a 73-point first half to withstand Anthony Davis’s monstrous return to the lineup, beating the New Orleans Pelicans, 126-121, at Barclays Center on Wednesday night.
Davis finished with 34 points and a career-high 26 rebounds after a one-game absence with an illness, but there were not enough rebounds to get in the first half, when the Nets opened a 24-point lead during their highest-scoring first half at home in 17 years.
Joe Harris added 21 points for the Nets, who had 105 points through three quarters and then got consecutive baskets by Harris when New Orleans trimmed the deficit to 7 with under 5 minutes remaining.
The Nets made nine of their first 15 3-point attempts during their highest-scoring first half at home since getting 75 against Golden State in 2002. They finished with seven players in double figures, with DeMarre Carroll (19) and Spencer Dinwiddie (18) leading strong efforts off the bench.
Elfrid Payton scored 25 points for New Orleans in his second game back after missing more than a month with a broken finger. Julius Randle had 21 and Jrue Holiday 20, but the Pelicans got next to nothing from their bench.
The Nets were ahead 39-29 after one period and scored the first 7 points of the second quarter, going ahead by 46-29 on Carroll’s 3-pointer. He added another almost two minutes later for a 20-point bulge, and the lead grew to 24 points later in the quarter.
The Pelicans rallied with 12 straight points to cut the lead in half, and the Nets were ahead 73-58 at the break. Their reserves outscored the New Orleans bench by 39-5 in the first half — and by 16-0 in the second half.
The Nets led by 18 after three quarters before the visitors closed with a late flurry.
Source: Read Full Article