A half for the Brooklyn record books
Only five times in franchise history, New Jersey years included, have the Nets reached 145 points in a game settled inside regulation. The fifth came overnight in New Orleans, where Brooklyn beat the Pelicans 145-111 and had the result wrapped up long before the fourth quarter.
The damage was done early. Brooklyn hit 66.7% of its shots in the first half and went to the locker room with 83 points, the third-highest half the club has produced since moving to Brooklyn. Michael Porter Jr. and Egor Demin finished with 22 points apiece, Julius Randle added 17, and Moritz Wagner and Noah Clowney gave the bench 16 each. Of the players who got minutes for Brooklyn, Josh Minott was the only one who failed to score.
New Orleans led 5-3 after 90 seconds. That was its only moment in front.
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Wagner, Mosley and a technical
The game picked up an edge in the second quarter. Wagner buried a three to make it 42-28 and turned toward Jamahl Mosley, the Pelicans coach who had him in Orlando. Mosley answered during the timeout that followed and was hit with a technical foul.
Brooklyn shot 8 of 16 from deep in the first half and 20 of 41 overall, finishing at 57% from the field. An 8-0 burst to start the third quarter, with threes from Demin and Day’Ron Sharpe, pushed the margin to 91-66 and ended any thought of a comeback. The Nets got there without first-round pick Mikel Brown Jr., who missed the game through illness.
The Pelicans’ defensive freefall
For New Orleans, this is now a pattern. The loss was their fourth straight, and they have given up at least 138 points in each of the last three. It followed Monday’s 51-point defeat to Golden State, the worst regular-season loss the franchise has ever suffered.
Zion Williamson did his part with 29 points in 30 minutes. Saddiq Bey scored 15, Jeremiah Fears and Jordan Poole 14 each. Trey Murphy III sat out with knee soreness. For Brooklyn, the win snapped a two-game skid.
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