Nets run winning streak to 11 by beating Hornets again

Kyrie Irving poured in 28 points and Kevin Durant had 23 points as the Brooklyn Nets won their 11th game in a row by routing the host Charlotte Hornets, 123-106, on Saturday night, December 31 (Sunday, January 1, Manila time).

Brooklyn broke out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter and rode 60% shooting from the field for the game to cruise to the win.

The Nets began their winning streak by beating the Hornets, 122-116, in Brooklyn on December 7, but this one had a more comfortable margin. It was only the fourth game in the streak to end with a double-figure margin.

Brooklyn’s high-scoring duo had plenty of help as Nic Claxton and Royce O’Neale both racked up 14 points, Yuta Watanabe had 11 and TJ Warren added 10.

The Nets made 13 shots from three-point range, so it didn’t matter that Charlotte outscored them by 19-14 on free throws. Irving shot 11-for-19 from the field with four treys, and Durant was 9-for-15.

LaMelo Ball’s 23 points and 11 assists and Mason Plumlee’s 22 points and 10 rebounds led the Hornets. They also received 16 points from Terry Rozier, 12 from PJ Washington, and 10 from Jalen McDaniels.

The Hornets beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to begin a four-game homestand, but they’ve lost six of their last seven home games overall.

Ball accounted for five of Charlotte’s 11 baskets from three-point range.

Several statistical categories were pretty much even – Charlotte’s 45-41 rebounding edge and Brooklyn’s 14 turnovers to Charlotte’s 12 – other than shooting percentages. The Hornets made 39.6% of their shots from the field.

Brooklyn outscored the Hornets 13-5 across the last 3 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to build a 97-79 advantage. Watanabe drained two treys in the last 67 seconds of the quarter.

The Nets held a 10-point lead by the end of the first quarter and extended it to 61-49 by halftime. The Hornets made just 2-of-18 attempts from three-point range in the first half. – Rappler.com