Sitting at 2-4 entering Monday night, the Brooklyn Nets desperately needed a win against the struggling New Orleans Pelicans.

Behind Kyrie Irving’s 39 points and nine assists, the Nets outlasted a gutsy a Pelicans team — one that was just as desperate for a victory.

At this point, the Nets faithful has gotten used to clutch performances from New Jersey native Irving. With the game within seven points down the stretch, Irving made game-changing plays on both ends of the floor. Whether he was finding the open man or hitting his free throws, Irving controlled the fourth quarter.

Go get the bucket @KyrieIrving pic.twitter.com/sNiGRGc1Yi

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) November 5, 2019

Irving embarrassed the Pelicans, just as Brandon Ingram did to Brooklyn’s defense. Ingram dropped 40 points, with the Nets having no answer for the ex-Laker. Caris LeVert also came up big, dazzling on offense and continuing to show his versatility. 

Of Brooklyn 135 points, the starters scored 111 of them. Last season, the Nets relied on the bench as much as any team in the league. As of late, coach Kenny Atkinson opted for a four-man bench rotation, as opposed to his conventional five-man rotation.

It was a welcomed sight to see all five starters — Irving, LeVert, Harris, Prince and Allen — score double-figures. Still, moving forward, the bench will need to play a more pivotal role.

The Nets shot impressively from the field tonight, hitting on over 53 percent of their shots. They also improved on their sub-70 percent mark at the free-throw line, converting on 21-28 (75 percent) of their chances tonight.

Despite the victory, it wasn’t all roses for Brooklyn.

After a dominant first half, the Nets defense fell apart. After allowing 50 first-half points, Brooklyn allowed a whopping 48(!) points in the third quarter.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Brooklyn’s first-half defense was stellar, making the team’s defensive collapse all the more frustrating. Similar to Saturday night’s loss in Detroit, the defense still has to figure out how to play well for all four quarters.

The Brooklyn Nets entered the night averaging 19 turnovers per game, and they topped their average tonight — committing a total of 23(!) giveaways.

The Pelicans had 21 turnovers of their own, as sloppy offense and abysmal defense defined the game for both teams. The only difference was that the Nets strung together a series of runs and prevented the Pelicans from going on extended runs of their own.

In football terms, the Nets played “bend but don’t break” defense — especially in the fourth quarter.

In Brooklyn’s struggles in the Atkinson-era, ball movement is usually the main culprit. As a team, the Nets had 32 assists on Monday, a sign of elite ball movement.

On a lesser note for Brooklyn, DeAndre Jordan exited with a sprained left ankle in the fourth. Further information on the severity of the injury has yet to be announced.

With the win, the Nets improved to 3-4 on the season (3-2 at home). Brooklyn plays their next game on Friday in Portland, as the Nets search for their elusive first road win of the season. Three days off should help Jordan, but it is likely for the Nets to exert caution over the 31-year-old’s health. The Nets need him for the long haul.

If Irving continues this level of dominance and the team improves defensively, the Nets can continue to rise and overcome the slow start to the season.