The Brooklyn Nets defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 139-111, at Barclays Center on Wednesday evening.

The Nets (36-16) continue to pile up wins and remain near the top of the Eastern Conference standings following another dominant performance in the return of Kevin Durant to the hardwood, as they didn't have problems getting past the Pelicans (22-29). Brooklyn quickly jumped out to a 36-33 lead in the first quarter, but they would start to pull away in the second quarter when they outscored New Orleans by a 43-26 margin -- that would set the tone of the game for the rest of the way. The Pelicans were unable to respond after halftime and the Nets took advantage of that to further extend their lead following a 36-23 third quarter -- the final 12 minutes were pretty much unnecessary due to the Nets' huge advantage. New Orleans won the final quarter by a 29-24 score, but that wasn't enough to even sniff a potential comeback in what turned out to be a dominant effort from the Nets.

Kyrie Irving once again paced the Nets with a 24-point, six-assist performance, while LaMarcus Aldridge delivered a vintage performance and contributed 22 points with three rebounds and two assists. Joe Harris ended with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Jeff Green stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal. Kevin Durant, who was making his return from injury, contributed 17 points off the bench. Blake Griffin added 10 points.

Zion Williamson had one of his worst games of the season, as he ended with 16 points, four rebounds and six assists while shooting just 4-for-12 from the field. Eric Bledsoe paced the Pelicans with 26 points and five rebounds, while Lonzo Ball had 15 points. Jaxson Hayes and Isaiah Thomas both had 11 points off the bench.