Brooklyn Nets fans got their answer on Wednesday night in New Orleans. Egor Demin came back from a bone bruise and immediately took over the game. He scored a team-high 22 points to lead a 145-111 blowout of the Pelicans. This wasn’t a lucky night. It was a statement that the Nets have scoring depth even when their starters sit.
The team looked disarrayed after losing to the Mavericks by 37 points. They needed a bounce-back win bad. Rather, they recorded their best first-half point total in years. The Nets shot 57 percent from the field and hit 20 three-pointers. They handed out 30 assists while committing only 15 turnovers. That kind of ball movement is what wins games, not just individual heroics.
Demin’s Impact on the Floor
Demin had been out since October 27. He had struggled before the injury, averaging just 7.8 points on 31 percent shooting. But he looked sharp the moment he stepped on the court. He went 5 of 8 overall and 4 of 6 from deep. He also drove to the paint enough to hit 8 of 10 free throws. He finished with a plus-29 rating, showing his presence changed the game’s flow.
Coach Jordi Fernández saw the readiness immediately. “It just talks about how ready he was to get back and impact the group and the game,” Fernández said, according to the New York Post. The coach noted Demin’s passing and shot-making were strong, but so was his pace. “And not just his passing, his shot-making, but also driving into the paint and playing with a lot of pace,” Fernández added. That pace is what the Nets needed to break their slump.
Veterans Stepped Up Too
Demin didn’t do it alone. Michael Porter Jr. tied him with 22 points. Julius Randle posted a plus-38, which ties a franchise record for a road game. The veterans knew they had to organize the offense without their usual point guards. Nolan Traore and Mikel Brown Jr. were both out due to injury and illness.
Porter explained the mindset shift after the game. “I just told Ju, me and him [are] going to have to take it on ourselves to get us organized and be in the right place, be involved in the offense,” Porter said, according to the New York Post. The team responded by having eight players score in double figures. Six of them hit at least 15 points. Moritz Wagner and Noah Clowney led the bench charge. That kind of balance makes a team dangerous.
The win puts the Nets at 3-8 on the season.
