The Nets, beaten Wednesday in Chicago after an impressive 12-game winning streak, were in bad shape at halftime, 9 points behind, before putting the turbo in the third quarter on the Louisiana floor.

Durant also had 10 rebounds to finish, for the 111th time in his career, with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds.

The Pelicans, deprived of their stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, nevertheless delivered an aggressive performance.

They took a 10-point advantage in the first quarter thanks to an award-winning field goal from Naji Marshall before inflicting a 13-1 on the New York franchise early in the second quarter.

The Nets took matters into their own hands in the third (35-21) and Irving, with 19 points in total, delivered his team with a 9-yard basket 43 seconds from the buzzer, followed by two free throws.

"Even though we didn't shoot well at the start, and even throughout the game, we kept pushing, and it's a great victory," explained Durant.

Brooklyn, second in the Eastern Conference, improves its statistics with 26 wins against 13 losses, while the Pelicans, third in the West, are at 24-15 after their 5th loss at home.

Charlotte, second to last in the standings in the East, went to defeat Milwaukee (138-109) thanks to a fiery start with 51 points scored in the first quarter, equaling Golden State's NBA record against Denver in 2019.

The Hornets relied on Terry Rozier, author of 39 points, his best performance this season, and managed to muzzle Giannis Antetokounmpo, limited to 9 points on Friday, far from his average of 32.7 points per game.

Terry Rozier prepares to shoot for Charlotte against Milwaukee, January 6, 2023 in Milwaukee © Stacy Revere / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he was concerned about the similarities in several losses this season.

"We haven't done what it takes to be competitive in an NBA game on multiple occasions," he admitted.

Philadelphia halted

In the West, the Los Angeles Lakers recorded their fourth consecutive victory, a first this season, by winning on their floor (130-114) in front of Atlanta.

Denver player Nikola Jokic tries to score between three Cleveland players, January 6, 2023 in Denver © MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP

The Lakers, still deprived of injured Anthony Davis, took over thanks to LeBron James (25 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists), Kendrick Nunn (23 pts) and Dennis Schroder (21 pts).

In Denver, Nikola Jokic multiplied again with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists - his 10th triple-double of the season - to secure the victory (121-108) against Cleveland, despite 22 points from Caris LeVert and 21 of Darius Garland for the Cavaliers, who could not count on Donovan Mitchell.

The Western Conference-leading Nuggets have won nine of their last ten games.

Two days after stopping the Nets' winning streak, Chicago went to stop Philadelphia's machine by winning 126-112 to end 11 straight home successes for the Sixers.

The Bulls were able to count on the three-point address of Zach LaVine, author of an 11 of 13 off the racket for 41 points in total, and a triple-double from Nikola Vucevic (19 pts, 18 rebounds, 10 assists) to also end a 12-game losing streak against Pennsylvania, which was without Joel Embiid with a foot injury.

The New York Knicks won their fourth consecutive game by winning (112-108) in Toronto, thanks to 32 points and 11 rebounds from Julius Randle.

"He's playing very well, he's full of confidence," Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson said.

"It's fantastic to see him back, he still has a lot to prove, not to others but to himself because he can still reach a whole new level."

© 2023 AFP