The Brooklyn Nets (6-17) suffered a disappointing loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday, but that meant that they had the chance to start another winning streak, this time at home. Brooklyn had an easier matchup than most of their games with the New Orleans Pelicans (3-21) coming to town and the Nets made sure to take care of business in front of their fans.
The Nets beat the Pelicans 119-101 thanks to a first half in which they got whatever they wanted on the offensive end of the floor. Forward Michael Porter Jr. resumed his torrid scoring pace with 35 points, nine rebounds, and three assists while center Nic Claxton found a way to make an impact of his own by notching his second career triple-double of 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
With the Pelicans missing some of their best players including forward Zion Williamson, forward Trey Murphy III had to step up to the tune of 23 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Brooklyn did a good job overall of keeping their foot on the gas and playing winning basketball for 48 minutes. With that being said, here are three Nets takeaways from Saturday’s win over the Pelicans:
Michael Porter Jr. Playing At An All-Star Level
While the headline is a bold declaration, it should be noted that Porter has been playing exceptionally well recently as he scored 35 points for the second time in his last three games. At this rate, the Nets are still going to be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference by the time All-Star voting is over, but it’s clear that Brooklyn’s offense has a higher ceiling with Porter in the lineup.
Nic Claxton Triple-Doubles Again
Claxton was already in the midst of the best season of his career as he was averaging 13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.7% from the field and 69.6% from the free-throw line coming into this game. After dropping the second triple-double of not only this season, but his career, Claxton is showing the entirety of his game, especially when it comes to the playmaking aspect of his skillset.
Terance Mann Remains Steady Veteran Presence
While Mann can be one of the players that fades into the background due to the nature of him being one of the glue guys within the rotation, it should still be noted how steady he has been this entire season. Even in a blowout win where the ball was being funneled to Michael Porter Jr., Mann still dropped 10 points, five rebounds, and four assists while being a +25 during his time on the floor for the second-best +/- on the team behind Porter.