The Brooklyn Nets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 145-111 on Wednesday at Smoothie King Center, shooting 57% from the field and getting five players in double figures. Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 22 points, and the Nets improved to 3-8 while snapping a stretch of close losses with their largest margin of the season.
Brooklyn built its lead early and never let New Orleans within range in the second half, outscoring the Pelicans 44-41 in the second quarter before a 24-15 third quarter put the game away. Zion Williamson scored a team-high 29 points for New Orleans, which fell to 4-8, but he got little scoring help as the Pelicans shot just 44% from the field and committed 16 turnovers.
Takeaways From Nets’ Win Over Pelicans
Brooklyn’s offense clicked from every spot on the floor
The Nets shot 20-of-41 from three-point range, good for 49%, and made 35 of 42 free throws for 83%. Five different players reached double figures: Porter Jr. with 22, Egor Demin with 22, Julius Randle with 17, Day’Ron Sharpe with 15 and Danny Wolf with 10. That balance showed up in the plus-minus numbers, with four Nets starters finishing at plus-17 or better, led by Randle’s plus-38.
New Orleans could not contain dribble penetration or the glass
Brooklyn scored 50 points in the paint compared to 38 for New Orleans and grabbed 11 offensive rebounds to the Pelicans’ nine. Danny Wolf grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds while also contributing four assists. The Nets’ largest lead reached 41 points, while New Orleans never led by more than four, a gap reflected in the Pelicans’ 10 steals not translating into enough stops.
Zion Williamson carried the scoring load with little support
Williamson shot 8-of-14 from the field and 12-of-14 from the line for his 29 points, but no other Pelican reached 20. Jeremiah Fears added 14 points and a team-high five assists, and Saddiq Bey scored 15, but Herbert Jones managed just two points on 1-of-6 shooting and finished at minus-18 in 25 minutes.
Player Of The Game: Michael Porter Jr.
Porter Jr. finished with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-10 from three-point range, adding six rebounds in 28 minutes. He posted a plus-25 rating, the second-best mark on either roster, and his efficient shooting from deep helped the Nets pull away in the first half.
Nets Vs. Pelicans By The Numbers
Brooklyn shot 57% from the field compared to 44% for New Orleans, a 13-point gap that defined the game. The Nets also out-rebounded the Pelicans 42-28 and held an edge in assists, 30 to 20. Brooklyn’s bench and starters combined for eight steals and eight blocks, while New Orleans managed six blocks and allowed 19 points off turnovers of its own compared with the 23 Brooklyn surrendered. New Orleans’ 29 fouls, four more than Brooklyn’s 25, led to the Nets attempting 42 free throws against the Pelicans’ 38.
What’s Next
The Nets improved to 3-8 and sit sixth in the Atlantic Division, 6.5 games behind first-place Boston, with a winning streak of one after Wednesday’s result. New Orleans fell to 4-8 and remains last in the Southwest Division, six games behind division-leading San Antonio, on a four-game losing streak. Brooklyn leads the season series against New Orleans 1-0. Neither team’s next opponent or date was included in the available data.
s season, read about the Nets’ loss to the Hawks and how Porter Jr. factored into a different result in the Nets’ win over the Pacers. The Nets’ recent matchup difficulties are detailed in the recap of the Knicks’ win over Brooklyn.
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