Zion Sits, Durant Denies Pelicans Series Sweep

New Orleans, La.- CJ McCollum (28 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists) and Naji Marshall (23 points, 9 rebounds) helped keep the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans within striking distance but Kevin Durant (33 points, 10 rebounds) and Kyrie Irving (19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) got revenge for an opening night loss to start the season.

With a game falling on Three Kings Day, which marks the start of the Carnival season that runs through Mardi Gras day, the Pelicans debuted their “City Edition” uniforms featuring the purple, green, and gold colorway. The skeleton crew Pelicans made things exciting but defensively, Brooklyn's Jacque Vaughn said the Nets were “really aggressive in the second half" especially in their “ability to contest shots at the rim.”

McCollum just did not have the help to overcome Brooklyn's late runs. Irving scored 7 of his 19 points in the final 1:12 of the fourth quarter, leading Jacque Vaughn's squad to a 108-102 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Jose Alvarado added 17 points, and Jonas Valanciunas had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans. Still, Alvarado admitted, “Obviously we’re down a few players...We had a chance to win the game and certain things didn’t go our way...Kyrie hit a big three and made it a little bit difficult, but we’ve got to look back and learn.”

New Orleans was in the lead for most of the night but failed to hit the pivotal shots down the stretch. They finished at 39% shooting (35 of 88). The Pelicans made just two of their 12 three-point attempts in the second half after making 10 of 17 before the halftime break.

Alvarado shared after the loss, “We know that they are one of the hottest teams right now. We came in here to try and compete and win this game. Obviously, we are down a few players. We want them back. It would have been a different ball game with them. But we are trying to lock in and compete. We had a chance to win the game."

Pelicans coach Willie Green said. "You give credit to them. They came out in the second half and picked it up. Made more shots. Got a bit more physical with us. I thought it affected our force and our pace in the second half.”

Still, Brooklyn is proud of the road win over a deep team. “Our growth as a team is just seeing some of the leaders on our team, including myself, be poised,” Irving said after the game. “That’s probably where I feel like we’re making incredible strides in games like this.”

T.J. Warren scored 15 points for Brooklyn and Royce O’Neale added 14, including a three-pointer with just over two minutes remaining. Those shots all but doomed the Pelicans to a fifth home loss this season.

"There’s going to come a time when shots don’t fall — like tonight,” said Durant, who shot 9 of 26, but also every one of his 11 free throws. “I liked how we kept grinding regardless...You’ve still got to go out there and lock in on the defensive side of the ball. Those are the type of games you want to play to learn your team and figure out your team even more, because you’re a totally different team when your shots aren’t going in. So, it was a good test for us.”

An early January loss will not faze the Pelicans. Willie Green came out of the game "Proud of our guys." It was a "Good effort. There are no moral victories in the NBA. We know that. I said it last season. I’ll say it again. This is going to help us down the stretch.”

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