© Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Brooklyn slides to a four-game losing streak with the defeat to New Orleans
Brooklyn had a disappointing performance against the New Orleans Pelicans, as the Nets struggled to get going on offense, leading to the 104-91 loss. Cameron Thomas led the team in scoring with 25 points on a decent 42% from the field.
In contrast, the Pelicans had a well-rounded game, with Zion Williamson leading the flock with 28 points and seven rebounds, while CJ McCollum chipped in with 17 points. Mikal Bridges had a decent performance, scoring 15 points, and Day’Ron Sharpe grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds.
“They just packed the paint, got a lot of aggressive guys. Dribbles, making it tough for us, passing. Nine turnovers in the first half and cleaned it up in the second half. I was very happy with our second-half performance, holding this team to 104 points. Those are the games we should win, we just couldn’t make shots,” Coach Ollie said in his post-game press conference.
Brooklyn’s struggles on offense
Beyond Thomas and Bridges, the Nets struggled with their shot-making, shooting only 36.9% from the field. It was an abysmal performance from the Nets, as they could not buy a bucket. Dennis Schroder and Cameron Johnson contributed with double-digit points, but the rest of the team missed almost every shot.
Lonnie Walker IV has been on an overlooked slump for a while, dealing another significant blow to the team. He is the Nets’ best scorer off the bench, but he’s not playing well enough to contribute to the team’s need for a tertiary scorer to assist Brooklyn’s two biggest stars. He’s only averaged two points in 11 minutes per game over the Nets’ last four games before this matchup against New Orleans.
The Nets will likely miss the postseason
With another loss on the record, Brooklyn is now 4.5 games behind the tenth-seeded Hawks. This four-game losing streak hurts the Nets’ chances of making it further for a postseason spot.
From now on, Brooklyn should focus on developing the young talent and see what they can do in the 2024/25 season. While they can still work towards getting the best results and hope the Hawks keep losing, the future is bleak. They must improve for the rest of the season to showcase some promise to end the campaign.
