At moments it was pretty, at moments it was ugly, but the end result was all that mattered for a Brooklyn Nets team in desperate need of a victory. Brooklyn snapped a four-game skid with a 116-109 win over the Indiana Pacers Monday night.

It was a much-needed bounce-back win for Brooklyn off the heels of an embarrassing loss to Indiana last Saturday. The game once again had disaster potential with the Pacers storming back to tie things up in the fourth quarter after Brooklyn led by as many as 24. But the Nets found a way to get it done, and their effort on both ends of the floor was a noticeable improvement.

Indiana grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and outscored Brooklyn 19 to nine on fastbreak points in Saturday's loss. The Nets allowed 11 offensive boards Monday and won the fastbreak points battle 18 to 12. Brooklyn's defense was much-improved, recording 11 steals to spark the transition game.

Kevin Durant led the way with 36 points, nine rebounds and seven assists on 13-of-22 shooting. Kyrie Irving turned in another strong performance with 28 points, six rebounds and six assists. The star pairing is the only duo in the NBA averaging 30-plus points each this season.

Here are some takeaways and observations from the Nets' second win of the season:

3. Joe Harris brings the intensity on defense

It would not be an exaggeration to say Joe Harris has been Brooklyn's best defender over the last two games. The seventh-year Net was outstanding on the defensive end during Monday's win. The message from Durant, head coach Steve Nash, and others following Saturday's loss was the need for greater individual accountability on the defensive end.

“That’s on the individuals. We got to take pride individually,” Durant said of Brooklyn's defense. “Coach could do so much, he can tell you what to do, but he’s not playing for us. At the end of the day, coaching matters, chemistry, all that stuff matters, but at the end of the day we’re individuals. So we got to be better as individuals, and then we’ll bring that to the group and figure it out. But each guy’s just got to dig down deeper and be better.”

Brooklyn improved as a whole defensively on Monday, but it was Harris whose hustle and focus jumped off the screen. The guard's most critical contribution came with the Nets leading by three with just over a minute remaining. Harris switched onto Tyrese Haliburton and overwhelmed the young guard, forcing him into a difficult fadeaway jump shot.

Brooklyn would score the next two possessions to put the game away. This kind of individual defensive effort had been few and far between through the Nets' first six games of the season. Durant spoke highly of Harris' defensive performance postgame.

“More than the stats, I think he's staying in front of his guy which allowed him to get his hand on some basketballs,” Durant said. “He just stayed in front of the basketball, played tough and guarded up well. So we're gonna need that from him to be consistent there, and we also need guys around him to be more consistent.”

Harris is re-acclimating after a pair of ankle surgeries forced him to miss nearly all of last season. The sharpshooter has yet to return to his normal offensive workload, scoring just seven points on 3-of-6 shooting in the win. But despite not being known for his defensive prowess, the longest-tenured Net made several game-winning defensive plays to avert disaster for Brooklyn.

2. Glaring center disparity

Nic Claxton turned in one of the best performances of his career against the Pacers. The fourth-year center posted 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks on his way to a team-best +19 for the night. Claxton's activity on both ends was a noticeable improvement from Brooklyn's last two games, something he said was a focus heading into the matchup.

“Honestly, I was a little lax last game, I would say the last couple of games actually,” Claxton said after the win. “That's not what got me here. What got me here was playing every single possession, bringing intensity. I'm the anchor of the defense, so really just taking on that challenge and listening and taking constructive criticism (from coaches) and going out and applying it.”

When asked if the players-only meeting after Saturday's loss had an impact on Brooklyn's performance, Claxton said his team's actions speak louder than their words.

“Talk is cheap. Everybody in the organization has just been pissed off,” he said. “We want to be better, so I don't know, but I know that everybody being on the same page today, that's what matters. You can talk, talk, talk, but you gotta go out there and get the job done. We did that tonight.”

As good as Claxton was, Brooklyn still has a major issue at the backup center position. With Ben Simmons out with knee soreness, Day'Ron Sharpe was thrusted back into the rotation Monday. Sharpe struggled in Brooklyn's first four games before being benched for the last two. And the results Monday were again underwhelming.

The second-year big man struggled defensively against Indiana's talented guards in the pick-and-roll. Sharpe finished minus nine with four points, two turnovers and two fouls in 11 minutes. With Sharpe struggling and glaring offensive issues surrounding Simmons and Claxton's fit as non-shooters, a floor-spacing center is a pressing need for the Nets.

Brooklyn has several mid-sized contracts, along with young prospects and a pair of future first-round picks to use in a trade. Expect general manager Sean Marks to be active canvassing the market for potential solutions behind Claxton.

1. Kevin Durant climbing into the record books

At 34 years old with no signs of slowing down, Kevin Durant seems poised to continue his climb up the record books. Durant passed Alex English for 20th on the NBA's all-time scoring list in Brooklyn's matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies last week. The former MVP took another step up the ranks Monday, passing Vince Carter for 19th all-time. Durant said he grew up watching Carter, making the accomplishment a special moment.

“That’s why we play basketball to put points on the board and to shift the game and be mentioned with the greats,” Durant said. “So to pass somebody I looked up to as a kid — my first NBA jersey was Vince Carter when he was in Toronto, so that’s a full circle moment for me. I'm grateful for all my teammates that helped me along the way throughout these years, my coaches as well, everybody that chipped in and helped make me the player I am today. Just got to keep going.”

Durant etched his name into the Nets record books in the win as well. The 12-time All-Star scored 25-plus points for the seventh-straight game to start the season. That marks the most consecutive 25-point games to open a season in Nets franchise history. Durant also passed Vince Carter in this category, who opened the 2006-07 season with six straight games of 25 or more.

Despite rampant speculation following his trade request this summer, the two-time finals MVP has continued his brilliance for Brooklyn to start the season. Durant ranks fifth in the league in scoring at 32.0 points per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field on 20.5 attempts per game.

Monday's win brings Brooklyn to 2-5 on the year. The Nets will look to start their first winning streak of the season as they get back to action on Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls before road matchups with the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets later in the week.