NEW YORK _ Once again, the Nets abandoned all of their defensive principles in the second half and managed to squander all but two points of a 20-point third-quarter lead.
This time, they found the fortitude and offensive firepower down the stretch to pull out a 135-125 victory over the one-win Pelicans Monday night at Barclays Center, but it was yet another cautionary tale about how much work lies ahead for a talented team that still is trying to find its way.
Facing yet another late-game meltdown, the Nets' sense of desperation was palpable coming down the stretch. When the Pelicans put together a 6-1 spurt to cut the Nets' lead to 121-119 on a Josh Hart layup with 4:43 left, windpipes began to constrict.
That's where the Nets put their foot down on the Pelicans' throats instead, finishing the game with a 14-6 run. Joe Harris hit a three-pointer on a nice feed from Garrett Temple with 52.9 seconds left for a 133-125 lead that put it out of reach.
Kyrie Irving had yet another stellar game to lead six Nets (2-4) in double figures with 39 points and nine assists, and he got support from Caris LeVert (23), Harris (19) and Jarrett Allen (18 and 10 rebounds). Brandon Ingram topped six Pelicans (1-6) in double figures with 40 points, and they shot 40.6% from three-point range (13-for-32).
The Nets begin their five-game West Coast road trip with a game Friday in Portland, so after a faltering 2-4 start, the chance to play the Pelicans at home seemed like a must-win. But coach Kenny Atkinson wasn't having that before the game.
"Just business as usual," Atkinson said. "Keep playing better."
The coach acknowledged the Nets still are searching for their identity while blending seven new players (eight if you count injured Kevin Durant), but after reviewing Saturday's loss in Detroit, where they blew a 14-point lead, Atkinson remained upbeat.
"After watching the film, I came out positive," Atkinson said. "I like this group, I like where we're headed. I think we're playing hard. We're working on things we have to clean up, but we definitely have to do it in longer stretches."
Defense was lacking in the early stages, but the Nets tightened up and moved out to a 38-27 second-quarter lead after a 15-6 run that included six points by LeVert. At that point, they hit the kind of lull that has characterized their play early this season, going scoreless on seven straight possessions while the Pelicans tied it at 38 with an 11-0 run that included six points by Ingram.
This time, the Nets responded with a 25-6 surge to build their biggest lead of the opening half at 63-44. Irving had seven points as the Nets scored on all 10 possessions in the span. They actually wound up scoring on 11 straight and 12 of their last 13 possessions for a 67-50 halftime lead.
Once they had that big lead, the obvious challenge was to build on it with consistent second-half play and solid defense that has eluded them much of the young season. The Nets expanded their lead to 20 points at 75-55 on a three by Harris, but right on cue, their defense took a sudden nose-dive.
Just as happened in Detroit, the Nets were horrific in the third period, giving up 48 points to the Pelicans, two short of what they scored in the entire first half. The Pelicans put together an extended run of 44-26 to pull within three before a Taurean Prince three-pointer gave the Nets a 104-98 lead at the end of the period.
During their long run, the Pelicans made eight of nine three-point attempts at one stretch and added two other three-point possessions.
