Jan. 15, 2026, 12:37 p.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (11-27) had one game left on their three-game road trip and after blowing solid chances to beat the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, the Nets had a solid matchup at the New Orleans Pelicans (10-33). Brooklyn once again had a lead in the fourth quarter, but their inability to rebound the basketball and string together successful offensive possessions cost them another game.

The Nets lost at the Pelicans 116-113 on Wednesday despite having as much as a 12-point lead due to their ability to prevent New Orleans from getting offensive rebounds and second-chance points. Forward Michael Porter Jr. had 20 points and seven rebounds, but he struggled to a 7-of-19 shooting performance on the last day of All-Star voting. Rookie Egor Demin had 17 points and five assists while rookie Drake Powell had 16 points and five rebounds.

The Pelicans saw forward Trey Murphy III have one of his best games of the season with 34 points, nine rebounds, and five assists as New Orleans picked up 18 offensive rebounds that led to 33 second-chance points. Brooklyn had a chance to win one game on their road trip, but they just couldn’t finish any of those games. Here are three Nets takeaways from Wednesday’s loss at the Pelicans:

Michael Porter Jr. Struggles

On the last day for fans to vote for the All-Star Game, Porter struggled against the Pelicans, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying in what amounted to a back-and-forth contest until the end. Porter did score 20 points, but it was on 7-of-19 shooting from the field and 4-of-11 shooting from behind the three-point line, showing how much it just wasn’t his night scoring the ball.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Drake Powell Shines In Start Of Place Of Terance Mann

Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez surprised some prior to the game by keeping Powell in the starting lineup in place of Terance Mann, but it looks like Fernandez was proven right given how Powell played. Powell put up an impressive stat line of 16 points (6-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from three-point land), five rebounds, and two assists in just 24 minutes on the floor.

Egor Demin Has Great, All-Around Performance

Demin missed Monday’s 113-105 loss at the Dallas Mavericks as the team rested him to manage his plantar fascia injury and he looked fresh against the Pelicans given his impact on both ends of the floor. Demin finished the contest with 17 points (6-of-10 shooting from the field, 5-of-9 from behind the three-point line), five assists (to just one turnover), one steal, and one block in 29 minutes. Demin seems to have caught his stride at this point of the season.