BKLN bags most dominant win of the season in 34-point rout of NOP

The Brooklyn Nets’ long-awaited offensive cohesion finally materialized 11 games into the 2026-27 NBA regular season.

Tagged as one of the teams to watch before the season kicked off, the Nets struggled early, dropping eight of their first 10 games despite adding veteran power forward Julius Randle in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

What they were expected to do was on full display on Nov. 12, 2026, as they demolished the New Orleans Pelicans, 145-111, to improve to 3-8 in the Eastern Conference.

Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez emphasized during training camp that the team would seek to thrive with a pace-centered offense in the regular season, which is exactly what transpired in the lopsided win.

Although the Nets had already shown glimpses of their potential early in the season, they displayed efficient, high-octane pick-and-pop schemes against the Pelicans that caught New Orleans off guard.

Brooklyn’s versatile and quick frontcourt of Randle, Michael Porter Jr. and Day’Ron Sharpe did damage from the get-go as the trio took turns scoring, leading to an early 14-point Nets lead.

What made the execution crisper was Egor Demin’s timing in delivering pocket passes to the rolling Sharpe and finding the right angles for swivel passes to Randle and Porter Jr. at the top of the key.

With the trio scorching hot from the field, New Orleans had to pick its poison, and containing Randle and Porter Jr.’s 3-point shooting midway through the second quarter opened up more scoring options for the Nets.

Moritz Wagner and Noah Clowney became the beneficiaries of the defensive breakdown, as Demin located them several times in the dunker’s spot when New Orleans was too focused on Randle and Porter Jr.

The sequence continued into the second half, when the Pelicans chose not to sag off on screens, putting more faith in their man-to-man defense and soft double teams on Randle.

However, that decision barely affected Brooklyn’s attack as its two-way brilliance helped the Nets establish a 26-point lead at the end of the third quarter, then increase it to as many as 41 points early in the fourth period.

Porter Jr. and Demin led the charge for the Nets with 22 points apiece, while Randle contributed 17 points, five assists and four rebounds in just 29 minutes.

Leading Brooklyn’s bench were Wagner and Clowney, who scored 16 points apiece, while Sharpe delivered an all-around stat line of 15 points, five assists, four rebounds and four blocks.

Brooklyn will look to build on its momentum on Nov. 15, when the Nets take on Ty Jerome and the Memphis Grizzlies, while the Pelicans aim to regroup on Nov. 14, also against Memphis.