Trendon Watford scored a team-high 22 points and Drew Timme added 16 off the bench as the Brooklyn Nets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 119-114 on Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
The win snapped a five-game home losing streak for Brooklyn and marked their first season sweep of New Orleans since 2021-22.
That third period proved decisive, as the Nets erupted for 43 points — their highest-scoring quarter this season — to build enough cushion to withstand a late Pelicans surge.
Antonio Reeves tried to spark a comeback for New Orleans, completing a three-point play with 1:29 remaining before draining a corner three at the 53-second mark to cut the deficit to 116-112.
However, Tosan Evbuomwan responded immediately, hitting a clutch three-pointer with 35 seconds left to shut the door on any hopes of a Pelicans rally.
Dariq Whitehead chipped in 14 points for the Nets, including 12 in the first half and four three-pointers on six attempts before the break.
Evbuomwan and Nic Claxton each scored 13 points, with Claxton shooting 6-for-9 from the field in under 17 minutes of action.
Brooklyn finished 17-of-40 from beyond the arc and shot 49.4% overall, a notable improvement for a team ranked in the bottom third of the league in field goal percentage.
Reece Beekman posted a career-high 10 assists with just one turnover and added three steals, helping stabilize the offense with efficient ball distribution.
Tyson Etienne added 11 points, while Maxwell Lewis recorded 12 on 5-of-13 shooting off the bench.
New Orleans, already eliminated from postseason contention, dropped its fourth straight road contest and fell to 7-33 away from home.
Reeves and Karlo Matkovic led the Pelicans with 17 points apiece, with Matkovic shooting 8-for-11 in 26 minutes.
Jose Alvarado added 16 points and hit three of his seven three-point attempts, while Jamal Cain tallied 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
Keion Brooks Jr. finished with 14 points, and Elfrid Payton dished out 10 assists to go with three steals.
The Pelicans were without seven of their top eight scorers, including Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Boston Jr., all sidelined with injuries.
Brooklyn improved to 26-53 with the victory but remains near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with three games left in the regular season.
The Nets are focusing on player development down the stretch, with several young players — including Timme, Beekman, and Whitehead — seeing extended minutes.
New Orleans fell to 21-58, solidifying its position among the worst teams in the Western Conference in what is statistically its poorest season in two decades.
The Pelicans shot 47.6% from the field and 36.4% from three, but committed 17 turnovers and gave up 43 points in the decisive third quarter.
