Nets Crush Pelicans 145-111 as Dani Wolf Records Double-Double
Brooklyn crushed New Orleans 145-111 to bounce back from recent losses. Israeli player Dani Wolf posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Nets.
Brooklyn bounced back in emphatic fashion following consecutive road losses to Atlanta and Dallas, crushing the New Orleans Pelicans 145-111 in a lopsided matchup that saw the lead balloon to as many as 41 points.
After opening their road trip on the wrong foot, the Nets (8-3) arrived in New Orleans knowing they needed a statement performance. They delivered a masterclass on both ends of the floor against the Pelicans (4-8). The tone was set early as Brooklyn raced to a 39-25 advantage by the end of the opening quarter, propelled by five players scoring at least five points apiece, led by Michael Porter Jr. with nine.
Unlike their recent collapse against the Atlanta Hawks where they squandered a double-digit lead, the visitors steadily built upon their margin. While the second quarter resembled an All-Star exhibition with minimal defense ending in a high-scoring 44-41 frame for Brooklyn, the second half told a different story. The Nets tightened the screws defensively, holding New Orleans to just 15 points in the third period to put the game out of reach.
Israeli center Dani Wolf earned another start, logging 29 minutes and recording a double-double with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting from the field, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, alongside 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Wolf also pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots, and tallied one steal.
Michael Porter Jr. paced the winners with 22 points and six rebounds, while Julius Randle added 17 points and five assists. Another major boost for Brooklyn came from the return of Egor Demin, who missed the previous six games due to a bone bruise in his leg. Demin exploded for 22 points in just 23 minutes off the bench, stepping up on a night when guards Nolan Traore and Michael Brown Jr. were scratched hours before tip-off due to injury and illness.
For New Orleans, missing four key players including Trey Murphy III, even a stellar 29-point, four-rebound night in 30 minutes from Zion Williamson was not enough to counter Brooklyn's suffocating defense.
