Egor Demin and Brooklyn Turn New Orleans Night Into a Three-Point Storm

Brooklyn came to New Orleans looking for a turning point after entering at 2-8. Egor Demin helped create one fast. The young guard hit four three-pointers and scored 22 points as the Nets poured in 20 shots from deep, raced away early, and beat the Pelicans 145-111 on Wednesday.

New Orleans entered at 4-7 hoping its return home would spark a cleaner, faster attack. Zion Williamson delivered 29 points and fought through traffic all night, but Brooklyn made every Pelicans mistake costly. The Nets moved the ball for 30 assists, controlled the boards 42-28, and turned a close opening minute into a long night.

Williamson started with a driving layup, then swatted Julius Randle at the rim. Dejounte Murray followed with a short jumper for a 4-0 Pelicans lead. Brooklyn answered with force. Demin drilled a three, Randle scored twice near the hoop, and Michael Porter Jr. followed his own miss with a dunk. Suddenly, the Nets led 9-5.

Day’Ron Sharpe became a huge part of the burst. The center grabbed extra possessions, scored inside, and later showed surprising range. Brooklyn built its lead to 20-10 before New Orleans found some pushback. Jeremiah Fears hit a three, then drove for a layup after Herbert Jones made a defensive stop. Yet the Nets had another answer each time. Forward-center Danny Wolf hit a long three, Porter buried one of his own, and Brooklyn finished the first quarter ahead 39-25.

The Pelicans tried to climb back in the second quarter. Derik Queen made a three, Saddiq Bey scored from inside, and Jordan Poole knocked down a three to pull New Orleans within 42-33. Williamson later powered in a dunk, hit a turnaround shot, and even connected on a 27-foot three. His scoring gave the home team a path back.

Brooklyn shut that path quickly. Randle organized the offense with five assists, while Porter scored 22 points with four threes. Sharpe blocked four shots, including two attempts by Williamson, and added 15 points. The Nets led 83-66 at halftime after guard Mann beat the buzzer with a three.

Demin opened the third quarter with another long three, and Sharpe hit two more from outside as Brooklyn stretched the lead to 94-68. That shooting mattered because it pulled New Orleans defenders away from the basket and opened room for cutters. The Nets led 107-81 after three quarters.

Demin then buried back-to-back threes early in the fourth, pushing the score to 121-84. Brooklyn’s reserves kept the pace high until the final horn. Forward Clowney scored 16 points, while center Wagner added 16, showing how many Nets helped carry the attack.

Brooklyn improved to 3-8 and carries new confidence into its next game against Memphis. New Orleans fell to 4-8 and will face the Grizzlies next, with this game showing how quickly missed chances can grow when an opponent shares the ball and catches fire from deep.