Kyrie Irving’s first home game of the season was spoiled on Sunday night as the Charlotte Hornets (39-36) defeated the Brooklyn Nets (39-36) 119-110 (26-32, 30-28, 37-28, 26-21) behind 33 points and nine assists from LaMelo Ball.
The Hornets (39-36) overcame the Nets 37-29 in the third quarter, after trailing by 14 points about halfway through the second quarter. Ball scored 18 points and made five of his seven 3-pointers during that quarter. Ball connected on seven of Charlotte’s seventeen 3-pointers and made 10 of their 21 field goals.
Irving, who was barred from playing in any Brooklyn home games due to New York City’s policies regarding unvaccinated athletes, finished with 16 points and 11 assists. On Thursday, the regulations were relaxed.
With 24 points by Miles Bridges, Charlotte tied Brooklyn for eighth place in the Eastern Conference (39–36). Terry Rozier scored 14 points and Washington finished with 18 as the Hornets won their sixth straight game.
With 27 points, Kevin Durant led the Nets, while Andre Drummond finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Ball didn’t score in the fourth quarter as the Hornets held off Brooklyn’s last-gasp attempt to pull away, but he did provide a crucial assist that allowed Charlotte to secure the victory.
With 3:36 left, Irving scored eight straight baskets to give Brooklyn a 106-105 lead. However, P.J. Washington’s layup with 3:21 left put the Hornets ahead for good.
With 2:30 left, Ball passed out of a double team to Cody Martin, who made a 3-pointer from the left side to give Brooklyn a 110-106 lead after Drummond missed a putback.
After Seth Curry’s layup with 1:33 remaining pulled the Nets within 110-108, Martin added another three-pointer late in the shot clock on the ensuing possession, and Rozier added another three-pointer with 47.3 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Nets, 116-108.
In the second quarter, Durant’s layup with 3.2 seconds remaining gave Brooklyn a 60-56 lead at the half after Curry’s 16-footer with 5:11 remaining gave Brooklyn a 50-36 lead.