New Orleans (28-26) are a team without answers right now as they look to fill the giant void created by All-Star DeMarcus Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury. The Pelicans fell to 1-5 without him after being manhandled 100-82 by the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Anthony Davis was held to 14 points on six-of-19 shooting as New Orleans endured a night in which they scored a season low in points for a game and a quarter as they totaled just 11 in the third period. Ian Clark scored a team-high 15 off the bench in extensive action as starters Davis, Jrue Holiday, newly acquired Nikola Mirotic and E'Twaun Moore all sat out the fourth quarter.
Brooklyn (19-37) have dropped four straight and eight of their last nine following a 115-106 setback at Detroit on Wednesday night. Allen Crabbe had 19 of his career-high 34 points in the fourth quarter, but the Nets hurt their own cause by committing 20 turnovers that led to 24 points for the Pistons.
Nets coach Ken Atkinson was conservative with his usage of D'Angelo Russell on back-to-back nights as he gets closer to 100 percent from a knee injury. Russell played 17 minutes and had four points and five assists, but he also committed six turnovers.
The Nets will be without starting forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the eighth straight game as he continues to deal with a groin injury, while guard Caris LeVert is questionable as he missed Wednesday night's game due to a concussion and knee injury.
Brooklyn have gone to a more perimeter-oriented offense the last two games as 86 of their 175 shots have come from 3-point range. The Nets have averaged 34.2 3-point attempts on the season while connecting at a 34.6 percent rate.
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
News