Alex Hales masterfully shepherded Notts over the line with an unbeaten 65 as the Outlaws recorded a second win in three Vitality Blast outings.
The England opener hit seven fours and two sixes, and shared in productive stands with Joe Clarke, Colin Munro and Tom Moores as the visitors chased a target of 169 with four balls to spare.
Earlier, there were three wickets for Steven Mullaney as Notts fought back in the latter half of the Durham innings to restrict their hosts to 168/6.
Durham had begun in positive fashion, before Conor McKerr’s productive loan spell yielded a third wicket in three appearances, the hosts’ aggressor Graham Clark miscuing to mid-off having made 29 from 15 balls.
New man Michael Jones picked up Clark’s proactive mantle, but his stay would prove to be short too, a modicum of movement from Mullaney breaching his defences on 26.
Alex Lees, meanwhile, was becalmed, and his attempt to accelerate resulted in his downfall, a misjudged sweep finding the hands of Matthew Carter on the leg side.
Durham were accumulating busily, reaching 89 at halfway and keeping a scampering Matthew Montgomery busy in front of the unoccupied temporary stand.
But Mullaney simply could not be kept out of the action.
Consistently effective in the middle overs during the Outlaws’ golden era, the captain was miserly and effective once more, luring Ashton Turner into a mistimed lofted drive into the safe boundary-riding hands of Hales.
And while wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson reached 50 from 37 balls, he became the latest batter to see his stumps disturbed by Shaheen Shah Afridi immediately afterwards.
With McKerr returning to see off Luke Doneathy for 2 in the next over, the Outlaws had restricted their hosts to 40 runs from the final six overs, Durham losing three wickets in the process.
169 was the target – and it was to become 167 before the first legal delivery was bowled, as Baz de Leede’s radar required early recalibration.
When the right-armer adjusted his sights, however, he could only propel the ball straight into the arc of Clarke, who opened up with two attractive drives through the off side.
The Outlaws opener had reached 20 from 11 balls before he was unfortunate to be caught by Liam Trevaskis, at the second attempt, off his own bowling.
Hales, however, continued to mete out punishment at the hands of de Leede, smashing no fewer than 24 runs from the Dutch-born bowler’s second over, an improvised baseball-style swat down the ground and textbook lofted cover drive the pick of the bunch.
Munro and Montgomery departed for six in successive overs as the run-rate began to slow, with Lyndon James making an enterprising 20, but Hales simply wouldn’t be quietened.
And with Tom Moores in typically ruthless mood in his 19-ball stay at the crease, the Outlaws retained the upper hand heading into the closing stages.
With Hales moving to within touching distance of 11,000 career T20 runs, it was left to Afridi to produce back-to-back blows in de Leede’s final over, before a straight six off Trevaskis sealed success.
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