Kevin Durant returned to the starting line, but it was the bench that helped the Nets turn a big deficit into an even bigger blow for the Hornets.
The Nets overcame some early defenses, then rushed back to throw the Hornets 130-115 before 1777 at Barclays Center.
Joe Harris scored 26 points, while Durant had 25 points and 11 assists, and Landry Shamet added 20 points. The Nets took advantage of Charlotte’s tendency to give up the captivating aspect, reaching 55.3 percent overall and going 21-for-41 from 3 points.
“I did a good job just moving them, making an extra pass here or there, from a good shot to a great shot,” said Joe Harris, who went 6-for-9 out of 3.
Shamet and the rest of the Nets overcame Charlotte’s reserves, 49-15. They started a race that included the first and second quarters to return the game, as well as once again in the fourth quarter to remove it.
“The second unit was remarkable just by adjusting its intensity,” said Nets coach Steve Nash. “And they did it in the second half. … So they played very hard, they played together, they were active in both stages. ”
Shamet was a plus-25, while Nic Claxton – despite being without a score – had team highs of nine rebounds, two steals and a block to finish plus-24. Even Blake Griffin – who took place Wednesday in Philadelphia with Durant – had 10 points, five rebounds and was given a big task to finish plus-22.
Charlotte’s Miles Bridges had 33 points and Terry Rozier scored 27, but without LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Malik Monk and PJ Washington, it wasn’t enough.
Hornets hit 12 of the first 15 shots, taking a 27-13 lead over a 3-pointer Bridges, with 4:56 of the first. But by 4:59 in the second, they overturned the script.
The Nets held Charlotte to a 5-for-23 shooting in an extended 32-14 maneuver, taking a 45-41 lead in a DeAndre Jordan dunk. The big center started its second game in a row, back in rotation after the retirement of LaMarcus Aldridge.
“I will approach this as a job. I will be a professional in this regard. I supported my teammates and each of them, regardless of whether I play for 30 minutes, if I don’t play at all “, said Jordan.
“Selfishly, individually, obviously not ideal for me. But being in a team, you have to be able to sacrifice and put the team first, and I did that night-night, night. And I will continue to do so. Because we know what the bigger goal is and what the ultimate goal is and that is for us to reach the top. ”
That top is a ring.
“We know what our goal is,” said general manager Sean Marks. “We know what we are trying to do. We know he filmed for. “
While the Nets were still clinging to a weak 94-91 lead early in the fourth, Harris helped open it up. His four-point game extended the lead to seven, with 11:13 to play, and he got a friendly throw on another 3 to reach 101-92.
From there, the Hornets gave up the ghost. The Nets ran and extended their lead to 118-99 with 5:35 left on 3 by Kyrie Irving (12 points, six assists, four rebounds).
“Obviously, we want to win every game and we want to play great basketball every time, but [the No. 1 seed] it is not an accent for us. We don’t come with a single seed encircled on whiteboard, “said Durant. “We want to stay healthy, we want to keep defensive and offensive trying to find that ditch … and bring everyone back and we’ll be fine.”