The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t win back-to-back games this week after losses to the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks, but their win over the New Orleans Pelicans could shift momentum back in Brooklyn’s favor. With Egor Demin back in the lineup and taking charge offensively, he could help Brooklyn get out of their rut and back to winning ways.
A blowout win against the Pelicans should surely turn the tide for Brooklyn. The Nets are now 3-8 and 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Brooklyn Nets choke lead in loss to Atlanta
The Brooklyn Nets lost a close game and were denied back-to-back wins in a 124 to 121 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Jalen Johnson scored 30 points, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Aaron Wiggins each had 20 points in Sunday’s game.
For Brooklyn, Porter Jr. led with 25 points, Traore had a season-high of 19 points, and Julius Randle also matched Traore with 19 points as well. Day’Ron Sharpe reached a career milestone with 13 assists, the most in a single game by a Nets center in franchise history.
Despite creating a large deficit for themselves, the Nets’ defense could not stop the fourth-quarter surge from the Hawks that ended in a bitter loss for Brooklyn. The Nets led by ten in the first quarter and maintained their momentum for most of the game. Brooklyn led 37 to 27 at halftime.
However, hanging on in the third quarter by a handful of points wasn’t enough, as Atlanta surged back and outscored Brooklyn 36 to 26 in the fourth to regain the lead and win the game. A Danny Wolf three-pointer cut the lead to two, but Atlanta’s free-throw shooting kept the lead and sealed the win in the final seconds.
Brooklyn no match for Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks
The Brooklyn Nets couldn’t stop Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks in a 130-93 blowout loss. It was Flagg’s double-double with 25 points and a career-high 12 assists that propelled the Mavericks to victory.
The former Net, Kyrie Irving, scored 21 points, and Daniel Gafford scored 18. Dallas shot well, going 57.1% from the field.
Brooklyn couldn’t answer the Mavericks’ offensive onslaught despite a 19-point, nine-rebound performance from Michael Porter Jr. and 14 points from Nolan Traore. The Nets shot a very low 39% from the field and 28% from three. Brooklyn never took a lead against Dallas, trailing by as much as 20 points at halftime.
Egor Demin returns against New Orleans
It was a night for Egor Demin as his return helped lift the Nets to a 145 to 111 blowout win against the New Orleans Pelicans. After missing six games with an injury, Demin returned with 22 points to add to Brooklyn’s win column. Porter Jr. also scored 22 points, with Julius Randle at 17 and Noah Clowney and Moritz Wagner at 16 apiece.
Zion Williamson had 29 points, and Saddiq Bey had 19 points for New Orleans.
Brooklyn shot lights out, going 57% from the field and 20-for-41 from three. Nine different Nets had shot at atleast one three-pointer, as did both Demin and Porter Jr., who each made four. Brooklyn, up by as much as 17 points at halftime, extended their lead and went up 124-84 in the fourth quarter. The Nets closed the book on New Orleans early and didn’t look back, thanks to their offensive performance.
What’s next for the Nets
With Demin back in the lineup, it’ll sure shake things up for the Nets. While the New Orleans Pelicans aren’t a top NBA team by any means, this could give Brooklyn some momentum. The Nets will not always have perfect shooting nights like Wednesday, but hopefully they’ll get more wins and can still win even on bad nights. With Egor Demin back and healthy, Nets fans can hope to see more development across the young core and more playing time together to help them gel and build something positive for the franchise.
