{"id":881908,"date":"2026-11-11T19:54:30","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/881908\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T19:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:54:30","slug":"brooklyn-nets-vs-new-orleans-pelicans-preview-searching-for-a-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/881908\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooklyn Nets vs. New Orleans Pelicans preview: Searching for a win"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"INGLEWOOD,<\/a><\/p>\n

INGLEWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 8: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives to the basket during the game against the LA Clippers on November 8, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and\/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo\/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Not much to say, really. The Brooklyn Nets faced a tough task on the road Sunday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Back-to-backs are never easy and going from Atlanta to Dallas is especially difficult. However, the Nets didn\u2019t give the people at home much to enjoy. The team was never really in it after the first quarter and got trucked, losing 130-93<\/a>. You\u2019ve got to give people something worth holding on to at some point.<\/p>\n

The opponent tonight is still searching. The New Orleans Pelicans don\u2019t figure to be competing for a playoff spot this year, but they\u2019ll try to figure out how they can build a brighter future. They were in San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors on Monday night and got embarrassed, losing 138-87<\/a>. Yeesh.<\/p>\n

Game info and broadcast details<\/p>\n

Matchup: Brooklyn Nets vs. New Orleans PelicansDate: Wednesday November 11, 2026Time: 8 PM EST (7 PM CST)Location: Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, LA)TV: YES NetworkStreaming: DAZN, NBA League PassRadio: WFAN<\/p>\n

Nets vs. Pelicans: Who\u2019s out?<\/p>\n

Probable – Egor Demin (right bone bruise)Questionable – Nolan Traore (right calf tightness\/soreness)Out – Yves Missi (left knee contusion\/bone bruise)Probable – Trey Murphy III (bilateral patellar)Out – Trendon Watford (right ankle sprain)<\/p>\n

Herb Jones is here, but not playing the minutes one would expect for a player of his stature. He\u2019s at a career low 22.6 minutes per game and it looks like Pelicans management might be gearing up to trade <\/a>him later in the season. If you\u2019re a team desperate for wing defense, it might be worth a shot.<\/p>\n

Speaking of things being worth a shot, we might get our first extended look at Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr playing together. So far this year, they\u2019ve only been limited to four minutes <\/a>together on the court, but that should change in a hurry. Brooklyn\u2019s guards have shown glimpses of excellence thus far, and we\u2019ll see how the vision for them continues to develop as the season progresses.<\/p>\n

On a team level, they have to be more careful with the ball. Too many of their games have gotten out of control due to ill timed turnovers, inability to rebound, etc.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the guys are not trying to turn it over, so put less pressure on yourself when you make those decisions,\u201d Jordi Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a> said. \u201cIt\u2019s more about our spacing and then how we do from there because we\u2019re pretty unorganized early and then that doesn\u2019t help. So I don\u2019t want them to play tentative; I want them to play aggressive, and making their decisions and playing very hard.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for the Nets, they are playing a Pelicans team that is allowing 116.8 points per 100 possessions, fifth worst in the NBA. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, they allow 114.8 points per 100 possessions, seventh worst in the NBA. This one figures to be sloppy and frantic.<\/p>\n

Player to watch: Zion Williamson<\/p>\n

I think two things are true when discussing Zion Williamson. The first is that he\u2019s had what we can consider a successful career. He\u2019s gotten to the All-Star game a few times, has made over $150 million and counting, and is likely due to cash in on another big contract before his career ends. This season, he\u2019s averaging 21 points on a career best 62.8 percent from the field and has taken some more three pointers than you\u2019d expect out of him.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also true that we expected a LOT more from the former number one pick. Numerous issues and controversies have dulled his impact in the league and instead of being a transcendent star, is merely a good player and potential trade chip this winter. If you told me eight years ago that\u2019s how things would go for him, I would have called you a liar. But alas.<\/p>\n

Williamson would be helping himself immensely if he were a better rebounder. He\u2019s never been great at it and his rebound rate is at career lows to start the season. From Chris Lambert at Pelicans Debrief<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is zero reason for a player with his frame and athleticism to not be jumping up and snatching boards like they\u2019re going out of style. Then you factor in he still gets lazy defensively and lets his man blow by him way too often, and I ask: what value do his defensive playmaking numbers even bring?<\/p>\n

Honestly, I would rather he average one steal and block zero shots but give this team six-plus rebounds and actually provide a consistent effort when guarding on the ball. That would provide more value for this group than starting a few fast breaks. Well, actually, maybe not because the half-court is putrid, so maybe I take that back.\u201c<\/p>\n

Another lefty All-Star will look to put a good outing on the board. Like Williamson, Julius Randle has to be the best player on the court in order for his team to win. It hasn\u2019t happened enough this year and it makes life more challenging for his teammates. Not that single-game plus minus tells the entire story, but the Nets were -33 in Randle\u2019s minutes on Sunday. He\u2019s the guy who\u2019s out there the most and the player the team expects the most out of. With an extra day-off to recuperate and fine tune some things, Fernandez is hoping Randle gets off to a strong start and builds on it throughout the evening.<\/p>\n

So we got word that former World Championship Wrestling executive Jim Herd passed away a few months ago. Herd\u2019s time in charge wasn\u2019t especially good<\/a>, but during his run, we did get one of the greatest matches of all time, so let\u2019s watch that!<\/p>\n

More reading: In the N.O.<\/a>, Pelican Debrief<\/a>, Sports Illustrated<\/a>, SB Nation NBA<\/a>, New York Post<\/a>, New York Daily News<\/a>, Clutch Points<\/a>, Nets Wire<\/a>, Nets Insider<\/a>, Yahoo Sports<\/a>, CBS Sports<\/a>, Steve\u2019s Newslette<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"INGLEWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 8: Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans drives to the basket during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":881909,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3767],"tags":[7,670,247,3803,6,671,19734],"class_list":["post-881908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn-nets","tag-basketball","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-nets","tag-brooklynnets","tag-nba","tag-nets","tag-nets-game-previews"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/117599565511585145","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}