Nets, Pelicans and Nuggets win Tuesday preseason games; Lakers at Golden State pending

Brooklyn opened its preseason with a 124-90 win at Charlotte, while New Orleans recovered from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat Oklahoma City 116-110 in Tulsa on Tuesday. Denver subsequently beat Utah 117-106, giving the October 6 slate three confirmed finals. Lakers–Warriors remained in progress at the early October 7 check.

Brooklyn 124, Charlotte 90

Michael Porter Jr. scored 16 points and Julius Randle added 13 as Brooklyn’s new group began with a comfortable win. The Nets made 20 of 37 three-point attempts and finished with 31 assists. Charlotte turned the ball over 25 times, while Brooklyn recorded 12 steals.

The margin developed after a competitive first half. Brooklyn led 56-52 at the break, then outscored Charlotte 36-21 in the third quarter. NetsDaily’s Lucas Kaplan reported that Day’Ron Sharpe was the only Brooklyn starter to play after halftime, leaving much of the second-half work to the reserves.

Chaney Johnson supplied three third-quarter dunks, part of the bench’s contribution as the Nets pushed their lead to 92-73. The official highlights show Brooklyn’s varied attack in its first exhibition.

Nolan Traore added ten points for Brooklyn. Liam McNeeley led Charlotte with 14, while Naz Reid and Grayson Allen each scored 13. The Hornets played without several regulars, including Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Coby White; Brooklyn was missing Mikel Brown Jr. and Joshua Jefferson. The absences and limited starter minutes give the result its preseason context.

New Orleans 116, Oklahoma City 110

The Pelicans trailed 67-52 at halftime before scoring 38 points in the third quarter and 26 in the fourth. Oklahoma City still led 93-90 entering the final period, but New Orleans finished with the stronger closing stretch.

After Anthony Pritchard put the Thunder ahead 107-104, Bryce McGowens tied the game with a three-pointer. Pelicans dunks by Karlo Matković and Trendon Watford followed, then Jaron Pierre Jr. hit a three to make it 114-107 with 4:45 left. New Orleans never surrendered the lead again.

Bennedict Mathurin led New Orleans with 13 points. Jeremiah Fears scored 12, Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson each had 11, and Derik Queen finished with ten points and nine rebounds. The Pelicans made 34 free throws and collected 18 offensive rebounds.

Bennett Stirtz led Oklahoma City with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists. Aday Mara added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Jared McCain scored 12. Several established Thunder players sat out, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.

Denver 117, Utah 106

Denver won the rematch at Utah 117-106, with Aaron Gordon scoring 18 points. Julian Strawther added 15 and Cam Whitmore 14. Darryn Peterson led the Jazz with 23 points.

The Nuggets overcame a 31-24 first-quarter deficit by outscoring Utah 41-28 in the second period. They led 65-59 at halftime and finished with 30 made free throws to Utah’s 12. The result reversed Denver’s loss to Utah in the teams’ preseason opener.

ESPN reported the final result, and the NBA’s official highlights cover Tuesday’s rematch.