Nets rout reeling Pelicans 145-111 as Egor Demin returns from injury

NEW ORLEANS — The Brooklyn Nets scored more points than they had in any other game this season on Wednesday night, pulling away from an early deficit to rout the New Orleans Pelicans 145-111 at the Smoothie King Center and hand New Orleans a fourth consecutive loss. New Orleans led by as many as four points in the opening minutes before Brooklyn answered with a 39-point first quarter; from there the Nets led for 96 percent of the game and built their advantage as high as 41 points. Guard Egor Demin, back after missing six games with a bone bruise in his leg, scored 22 points, matching forward Michael Porter Jr., as eight Nets players finished in double figures in front of an announced crowd of 15,043.

The Nets shot 57 percent from the field (45 for 79) and made 20 of 41 three-point attempts, with nine different players hitting at least one; Porter and Demin each made four. Brooklyn also went 35 for 42 at the free-throw line and outrebounded New Orleans 42-28 while out-assisting the Pelicans 30-20. Julius Randle added 17 points and five assists, Noah Clowney and Moritz Wagner each scored 16 off the bench, Day'Ron Sharpe had 15 points and four blocks, and forward Danny Wolf contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. Brooklyn led 83-66 at halftime, its biggest first-half output since a 91-point half against Golden State in December 2022, per the game's box score. The Nets outscored New Orleans 24-15 in the third quarter and then widened the gap in the fourth behind a 17-1 run that made it 124-84. The 34-point final margin was Brooklyn's largest of the season.

• Final: Brooklyn Nets 145, New Orleans Pelicans 111
• Leading scorers: Zion Williamson 29 (New Orleans); Egor Demin 22 and Michael Porter Jr. 22 (Brooklyn)
• Records: Nets improve to 3-8; Pelicans fall to 4-8 on a fourth straight loss
• Next up: Nets at Memphis (Saturday); Pelicans host Memphis (Friday)

A Pelicans defense in free fall

For New Orleans, the loss was the latest sign of a defense that has come apart over the past week. The Pelicans have fallen to 4-8 in the standings and have allowed 138 points or more in three consecutive games, losing their last two by more than 30 points apiece. Three nights earlier they absorbed a franchise-record 51-point defeat, falling 138-87 to Golden State. New Orleans turned the ball over 16 times Wednesday, which Brooklyn converted into 23 points, and was outscored 50-38 in the paint despite a 17-14 edge in fast-break points. Brooklyn's defense did its part too, forcing those 16 turnovers while recording eight steals and eight blocks, with Sharpe and Wolf anchoring the interior.

Zion Williamson scored 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting and went 12 for 14 at the free-throw line, but finished a game-worst minus-23 as Brooklyn's reserves overran New Orleans' bench. Saddiq Bey scored 15 points and Jeremiah Fears added 14 points and five assists, but the Pelicans never found stops at either end, shooting just 44 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range in the loss.

New Orleans was already shorthanded. Wing Trey Murphy III missed his second straight game with knee soreness, and forward Yves Missi (knee) and guard Trendon Watford (ankle) remained out, according to the team's injury report. One bright spot for the home crowd: rookie Jaron Pierre Jr., a second-round pick out of SMU and a New Orleans native, scored his first NBA basket.

A balanced night lifts Brooklyn's young core

For the Nets, who improved to 3-8 and have alternated between promising stretches and lopsided losses through the season's first month, Demin's return was the headline. The Nets' 2025 first-round pick out of BYU went 5 for 8 from the field and 4 for 6 from three-point range in 23 minutes, finishing a plus-29 that trailed only Randle's plus-38 in a game Brooklyn controlled for nearly the entire night. Brooklyn's reserves, Clowney, Wagner, Keon Ellis (11 points), Terance Mann and Drake Powell, combined for 59 points, nearly matching the 86 points the Nets got from their starting lineup. Combined with the scoring from Porter and Randle, both added to Brooklyn's roster since last season as the Nets have mixed veteran scorers in with a young core still led on the floor by Demin, Clowney and Wolf, Wednesday's performance was Brooklyn's most complete offensive showing of the season so far.

What's next

The two teams head in different directions to close out the week. The Nets visit Memphis on Saturday night to wrap up a four-game road trip, while the Pelicans host Memphis on Friday, looking to avoid a fifth consecutive loss and a fourth straight game allowing 130 or more points. For Brooklyn, the question is whether Wednesday's shooting can be repeated against a team playing meaningful basketball this month; for New Orleans, it is whether a defense that has now surrendered 138 or more points in three straight games can tighten up against the Grizzlies on back-to-back nights, with Murphy, Missi and Watford all still question marks to return to the lineup. Neither team entered the week with realistic postseason aspirations, and Wednesday's lopsided result will not change the broader trajectory of either rebuild, but for one night, Brooklyn's mix of a returning rookie, a healthy veteran scorer and a deep bench looked considerably further along than its record indicates.