NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving had 39 points and nine assists, and the Brooklyn Nets withstood Brandon Ingram’s career-high 40 points to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 135-125 on Monday night.
The Nets had 67 points at halftime and a 20-point lead in the third quarter, but could never get comfortable until the final minute as Ingram kept coming at them.
He shot 17 for 24 from the field in his first 40-point game and the Pelicans scored a franchise-record 48 points in the third quarter. They got within two in the fourth but could never get enough stops to actually catch the Nets.
Caris LeVert added 23 points, Joe Harris had 19 and Jarrett Allen finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who follow this game with a five-game road trip, their longest of the season, with the first four in the West.
Jrue Holiday and Lonzo Ball each scored 15 points and Josh Hart had 14 for the Pelicans, who fell to 1-6.
Brooklyn led by only two after Ingram’s three-point play with 4:58 remaining in the half, but the Nets scored 10 straight. Five of them came in one trip when Allen made two free throws after being flagrantly fouled by Ingram – he actually made the shot while being thrown to the ground, but the foul had been called on the floor – and Garrett Temple made a 3-pointer after Brooklyn retained possession.
Brooklyn later got consecutive jumpers by Irving and a dunk from Spencer Dinwiddie to close a 20-3 run and make it 63-44.
WASHINGTON 115, DETROIT 99: Bradley Beal’s 20 points and six assists helped host Washington shake off what Coach Scott Brooks called a “really bad” outing and beat the depleted Pistons in a half-empty arena while ending Detroit star Andre Drummond’s 20-20 streak.
NOTES
CAVALIERS: Rookie guard Kevin Porter Jr. has been suspended by the NBA for one game without pay for bumping an official.
At the end of the third quarter of Cleveland’s 131-111 loss to Dallas on Sunday night, Porter brushed into referee Bill Spooner’s shoulder as he ran back down the floor after missing a shot.
The contact knocked Spooner off balance, and he immediately looked at Porter, who didn’t turn around.
BETTING: The NBA has agreed to a multiyear deal making DraftKings an official sports betting operator.
The Boston-based company joins a half-dozen others, including MGM and longtime daily fantasy sports rival FanDuel, with deals that allow them the rights to official betting data and NBA logos.
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