Durant injured his left knee and Harden had 27 points and 15 assists to beat the Pelicans

The Nets beat the Pelicans 120-105 at home. Durant left early with a left knee strain in the second quarter.

Durant came up and scored a mid-range shot, Mills scored three points, and Harden broke through and attacked quickly. The Pelicans' side relied entirely on Ingram's jump shot. Durant shot 2+1 from mid-range and fired from distance, giving the Nets a 10-0 lead to 11 points. Hart and Graham hit three consecutive points. But Cameron Thomas hit a mid-range shot and went all three-pointers to give the Nets a 32-22 lead in the first quarter. Durant scored 12 points.

In the second quarter, Nets rookies Thomas, Sharpe and Edwards made a wave of output, and the Nets led 21 points at an 11-0 start. The trio took 17 of the Nets' first 18 points of the quarter to give the Nets a 50-26 lead. With more than 5 minutes left in the quarter, Bruce Brown fell on defense and hit Kevin Durant's left knee, causing the latter to walk straight back into the dressing room with an injury. The Nets then announced that Durant would miss the game due to a sprained left knee and would undergo an MRI examination. Edwards scored two more three-pointers, Mills and Harden hit consecutive long-range shots to give the Nets a 30-point lead at 67-37. Jones and Ingram hit consecutive jumpers, and the Pelicans trailed 41-69 in the first half.

Jones hit a three-pointer in the third quarter, after which he and Hart and Ingram scored consecutive baskets to chase the Pelicans 11-0 to 55-71. Mills hit a three-pointer, and Thomas and Sharp played again. The Pelicans scored 36 points in the quarter and trailed to 77-95 in the third quarter. Mills scored six straight points in the fourth quarter, Edwards hit another three to give the Nets a 25-point lead at 104-79. They have maintained a huge lead ever since, eventually winning at home.

Harden had 27 points, eight rebounds, 15 assists and six turnovers, Mills had 21 points, Durant played 12 minutes, Edwards had 16 points and six rebounds, Thomas had 20 points and Sharp had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Ingram had 22 points and eight assists, Hart had 14 points, 11 rebounds and three breaks, Graham had 10 points and four assists, Valanciunas had 13 points and five rebounds and Jones had 13 points.