The Brooklyn Nets (3-8) did not have the kind of start to their four-game road trip that they were hoping for after losing to the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks in different ways. After Sunday's loss to Dallas, Brooklyn had nowhere to go, but up and with a matchup at the New Orleans Pelicans (4-8), the Nets made sure to make a statement about where they stand.
The Nets beat the Pelicans on Wednesday 145-111 in a game where they led by as many as 41 points thanks to how well they were playing on both ends of the floor. Forward Michael Porter Jr. led the way for Brooklyn with his 22 points and six rebounds while forward Julius Randle also did his part as one of the leaders of the team with 17 points and five assists of his own.
The Nets meant
business in the first quarter as they led the Pelicans 39-25 thanks to five players scoring at least five points in the period, led by Porter's nine points. It was a bit of an ominous start for Brooklyn as they were in a similar situation on Saturday against the Hawks, but instead of letting their double-digit lead slip away, they continued to build on it.
The second quarter seemingly resembled an All-Star Game with plenty of offense and no defense as both teams scored 41 points each, but it was encouraging to see the Nets being able to keep up with the scoring. Despite the Pelicans missing four key players, including forward Trey Murphy III, Brooklyn still had to do what it could to stop forward Zion Williamson, but he dropped 29 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes.
The second half saw the Nets blow the game open as they already went into halftime with a 83-66 lead before holding the Pelicans to just 15 points in the third quarter as they ratcheted up their defense. Outside of Williamson, New Orleans didn't have much of an answer to Brooklyn's defense and that has been an area that the Nets have been trying to improve since the beginning of the season.
The Nets had some injury concerns coming into this game as they found out seemingly hours before tipoff that guards Nolan Traore (right calf soreness) and Mikel Brown Jr. (illness) would be unavailable. However, it wasn't all bad news for Brooklyn as guard Egor Demin, who missed the previous six games due to a right leg bone bruise, was available and he made quite the return with 22 points in 23 minutes.
One of the main talking points for the Nets over the course of this season, especially this road trip, was making sure that the group remain connected in the face of adversity and it's certainly easier to do so when you're winning. After such a blowout victory, Brooklyn is now 1-2 on their current road trip with a matchup against Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies looming on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets beat down Pelicans 145-111 to end 2-game road losing streak
