Pelicans win 108-102 by Nets

The more difficult the game, the higher the opponent’s quality.

That much has rung true in the Nets’ last two outings, first Wednesday’s loss to the Chicago Bulls and then Brooklyn’s come-from-behind 108-102 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

The Pelicans were missing All-Stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, but they dominated the game on the boards and with 50-50 balls. It’s been a recipe for success for a Pelicans team that entered the night 5-1 in games without those two stars. On a poor shooting night from Kyrie Irving, the Nets made enough plays down the stretch to secure a victory — setting the table to start a new streak after their 12-game run came to an end in Chicago.

There are 21 playoff opponents scheduled for their next 23 matches. The last two games have demonstrated that the quality of the opponent does not matter. The Nets will face playoff- and championship-caliber opposition, which will make their margin for error even smaller.

Irving and Kevin Durant had a great night shooting in Antarctica. They both struggled to score against the stingy Pelicans defense.

Durant was 1 of 7 on the field for the night and shot only 9 of 26 for 33 points. This was his worst shooting night of the season. Durant finished one point shy of passing Dominique Wilkins for 14th place on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list. Durant struggled to make the shots he is accustomed to against a Pelicans defense, which dragged him off the dribble.

It didn’t help that Irving couldn’t buy a basket, either. The Eastern Conference’s leading All-Star vote getter among guards shot just 7 of 22 from the field for 19 points.

Irving missed 12 of his first 16 shots. He then hit a 3-pointer, giving the Nets a three point lead in the fourth quarter.

After shooting 0 for 9 from the field and 0 for 8 from downtown in the loss to the Bulls, Royce O’Neale redeemed himself with a 4-of-7 shooting night from downtown. O’Neale finished with 14 points and hit a pivotal 3 late in the fourth quarter to give the Nets a 101-97 lead.

The Pelicans’ only available star, CJ McCollum, finished with 28 points, Naji Marshall finished with 23 and New York native Jose Alvarado scored 17 off the bench.

In the second half, the Nets held the Pelicans down to 38 points. When the offense faltered, they stayed strong defensively.

Due to the increasing difficulty of the schedule, the Nets will need their second-half defense effort to Miami for the final road game.