The Brooklyn Nets walked into the Smoothie King Center tonight, dragging behind them the longest losing streak in the NBA. The New Orleans Pelicans hosted while sporting the league\u2019s second worst record. Like a no stakes poker night, there wasn\u2019t much to be gained, but everyone still had fun.<\/p>\n
Alongside Nic Claxton, Michael Porter Jr., Egor D\u00ebmin and Noah Clowney, Drake Powell started again this evening. As a result, Terance Mann came off the bench for the first time all year. Jordi Fernandez\u2019s decision paid off in a way.<\/p>\n
As designed, this game belonged to the kids early on. We saw an early activation for The Winter Soldier and Powell alike in game no. 38, as both rookies played crucial roles in helping the Nets avoid yet another slow start. In the game\u2019s first five minutes, Powell tallied five points, two rebounds, and two assists. D\u00ebmin reeled in three points with two dimes as well. He started the game a perfect 4-of-4 from deep\u2026<\/p>\n
And the Nets? They leapt out to 16-6 lead as a result. MPJ starting the game 3-3 from deep helped as well. Brooklyn ended up splashing six 3-pointers in the first quarter to tie their most in an opening frame this season.<\/p>\n
The Pelicans weren\u2019t so spry. There a misses, and then there are bricks, and the Pels might as well apply for jobs at LEGO with how many of the latter they had in the first. New Orleans shot a weak 12-30 from the field to begin the game, often hitting backboards, or nothing at all on a few occasions.<\/p>\n
That said, the Pelicans made the most of their misses. Crashing the glass with five offensive boards in first quarter, New Orleans found its way to nine second chance points and within striking distance \u2014 even after Brooklyn\u2019s Louisiana hot start. The Pelicans continued to ride that strategy as well, finishing tonight with 26 second chance points.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were more physical, and they fought those boards and they beat us,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said post-game. \u201cOn my end, it\u2019s extremely dissapointing because I keep telling our guys over and over again how important defensive rebounding is. We started the season as the worst defensive rebounding team in the history of the NBA. We got better for a stretch where we became the number one for a stretch, and we pushed up, moved out of last, and now in the last three games, we\u2019re back to, like, really poor\u2026I know our guys care about doing the right things. The problem is right now, our focus and our intentions are not there, and that\u2019s something that I got to help get better at. And there\u2019s different ways you can do it, so I\u2019m going to try to do my best to find 10 guys in the rotation that care about rebounding, that care about ball pressure, that care about doing the right things, and then if you make mistakes, we can live with it, but the intentions and the effort is it\u2019s a priority for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez would have more to say on the rebounding later, but in the second, the \u201cpure hoopers\u201d looked to have ownership over early on. Cam Thomas and Jordan Poole each began it dropping in a few circus shots, each more theatrical than the last. But as the game later slowed down, Brooklyn\u2019s 3-point shooting followed. The Nets shot just 2-11 from deep in the second, and their long misses were essentially whistles in a New Orleans school yard, provoking the Pelicans to get out and run. The fast break points consequentially swung in their direction in the quarter by a five point margin and the Nets could only trot into the break with a one point lead.<\/p>\n
All the while, Powell and D\u00ebmin continued to hoop, putting together their best half of ball as Brooklyn\u2019s backcourt of the future. While Trey Murphy III led all scorers with 18 points at the half, D\u00ebmin led the Nets with 12 points after shooting 4-5 from deep and adding four assists. Powell nabbed seven points, four rebounds, two assists and went into the tunnel as a team best +9.<\/p>\n
But Brooklyn\u2019s comfort on the road could only last so long. Off another offensive rebound, Jeremiah Fears nailed a deep triple from the top of the key to tie the game up early in the third. The strongest Pelican also rediscovered his wings in the period\u2026<\/p>\n
Zion Williamson had just nine points at the break, with both Powell and Nolan Traor\u00e9 putting him on skates in separate occasions\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2026but successfully sought revenge with 14 points in the third while shooting a perfect 6-6 from the field. That brought New Orleans into a dead heat with the Nets, as period alone saw 13 lead changes. Thomas introduced us to the last one with a buttery, step-back triple. Once again, Thomas only played a handful of minutes beyond the third, finishing with 16 points and five assists while shooting 6-15 from the field.<\/p>\n
Still, the LSU product made the most of his scraps adjacent to his collegiate home. Thomas ignited a 10-2 Brooklyn run to begin the final frame, leveraging around the defense before assisting on a pair of made triples that helped put his team up by eight.<\/p>\n
In response, New Orleans took another route, continuing to probe inside, and after digging for a few possessions, they eventually found their way to the line. After Murphy III nailed a three without about five to go, New Orleans had retaken the lead.<\/p>\n
As the score remained tight and time trickled away, D\u00ebmin proved that his blood still runs ice cold even down south\u2026<\/p>\n
But Saddiq Bey had an answer, or perhaps just an answered prayer\u2026<\/p>\n
It was second chance points that helped New Orleans stay afloat early, and those three, plus another pair a few seconds later, helped the Pelicans get all the way to shore with a win.<\/p>\n
On the Pels\u2019 next possession, Brooklyn forced a miss after Murphy III\u2019s clanked a three off the back iron. However, Bey was first to the rock again, and then wasted little flushing it home. That gave New Orleans a two-point lead with 21 seconds to go.<\/p>\n
After that point, the Nets had no choice but to play the foul game. To their credit, they did so well, at one point possession the ball, down three, and with four seconds to spare. However, a wayward inbound pass broke up whatever chance Brooklyn had at getting a clean shot off. Instead, they had to settle for a final, unbalanced heave from Porter Jr. that never got close.<\/p>\n
Fern\u00e1ndez, however, felt the game was lost elsewhere.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that play doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said of the final shot. \u201cI think what really matters is the 33 second chance points. We still got three up on the length of the floor, a play that we run and we know, because when we run out of timeouts, you have to have something that everybody knows. The team actually kind of ran it. Nic couldn\u2019t catch it, and then Mike ends up shooting a three, so we give ourselves a chance. That\u2019s good, good for them. It was a little lucky, but we still shot the three to tie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with the rebounding, Fern\u00e1ndez wasn\u2019t a fan of the whistle tonight. New Orleans took 13 more free throws than Brooklyn tonight. Clowney also took a tumble as chaos ensued on the final possession.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a great job getting into the pain, cutting and driving\u2026Noah Clowney on the last possession, he gets pushed and falls on the ground. I would like to ask questions about, different situations, and when the free throw disparity is this big, it\u2019s more than double, it\u2019s frustrating,\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cAt the same time, those are the things that I cannot control. I can just ask questions and move on from it. But I think my players deserve better than 12 free throws.\u201d<\/p>\n
Final: New Orleans Pelicans 116, Brooklyn Nets 113<\/p>\n
Drake Powell scored a career-high 16 points tonight against New Orleans with five rebounds and two assists. Along with Egor D\u00ebmin\u2019s 17 points on 5-9 3PT, they are the first Nets rookie duo with 15+ points each in a game since 1\/15\/22 (Cam Thomas and Kessler Edwards vs. NOP).Egor D\u00ebmin had 12 points on 4-5 3PT tonight against the Pelicans. It is his 10th game this season with at least four 3-pointers made, passing Kerry Kittles (nine in 1996-97) for the most by a rookie in franchise history.<\/p>\n Ziaire Williams missed his third straight game tonight with an undisclosed illness. Feel better soon, Z!<\/p>\n Tonight marked the 2,000th straight game called by legendary Nets radio man and occasional broadcaster Tim Capstraw. His streak started on October 30th, 2002. The Nets starting five that evening included Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles, and Dikembe Mutombo. Congrats, Capper!<\/p>\n
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