Brooklyn Nets vs New Orleans Pelicans Prediction & Match Preview - November 12th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The New Orleans Pelicans will look to host the Brooklyn Nets at the Smoothie King Center on November 12th.
The Brooklyn Nets are coming off a dominant outing against the Orlando Magic. With a 123-90 win and a 8-4 record, the Nets bounced back quickly after facing a loss against the Chicago Bulls.
The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off a 100-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a 1-11 record for the season, the Pelicans will look to end their eight-game losing streak.
Match Details
Fixture - Brooklyn Nets vs New Orleans Pelicans
Date & Time - Friday, November 12th, 2021; 8:00 PM ET (Saturday, November 13th, 2021; 6:30 AM IST)
Venue - Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Brooklyn Nets Preview
The Brooklyn Nets have looked impressive over the course of the last few weeks. While they've had a rough start to the season, facing issues with internal conflict and team adjustments, the Nets seem to have finally hit a rhythm this season.
Their win against the Magic gave them fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. The Brooklyn Nets are now only half a game out of the first spot in the highly competitive top tier of the East.
The Brooklyn Nets will head into the game with some key players missing as Nicolas Claxton and Kyrie Irving continue to be sidelined.
Contributions from James Harden on the facilitation front and Kevin Durant on the scoring front will continue to be the headliner for the Brooklyn Nets' success.
Key Player - Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is by far the most important player on the Brooklyn Nets roster. As one of the most gifted offensive forces of all time, the burden of carrying the Nets offense has fallen upon the 33 year old.
Scoring 30 in his outing against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, Durant continued his scoring rampage against the teams. While averaging 29.5 points per game at this point in the season, Kevin Durant has put together a streak of three-games where he has recorded 30+ points.
Kevin Durant took 12 shots tonight. He finished with 30 points.
He’s the first Nets player to score 30+ on 90% shooting in the last 40 seasons.
KD leads the NBA with 29.5 PPG on 58.5 FG% this season. https://t.co/kPdZe5PZng
Heading into this matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, Durant will have to continue to be the leader for the side on the offensive end. Although Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash has been vocal about the burden put upon his superstar, the absence of a proper scorer with that level of proficiency is creating some problems.
Brooklyn Nets Predicted Lineup
G - James Harden | G - Joe Harris | F - Kevin Durant | F - Bruce Brown Jr. | C - Blake Griffin
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
The New Orleans Pelicans have had a very disappointing start to their 2021-22 campaign. After starting the season with a 1-11 record, the issues for the Pelicans' side continue as another star player remains sidelined.
Brandon Ingram has missed six consecutive games due to a hip contusion. Ingram recorded averages of 25 points along with 7.3 rebounds per game early in the season.
Brandon Ingram misses his sixth straight game tonight for the 1-10 Pels.
More NBA from me: marcstein.Substack.com twitter.com/pelicansnba/st…
WIth the absence of Zion Williamson from the side, the Pelicans struggled to establish an identity, however Ingram was their most consistent scorer. In his absence, the Pelicans have been severely shorthanded in the star power department.
Although players such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Devonte Graham look to make up for the loss in scoring, the overall appeal of the roster is falling apart.
Key Player - Jonas Valanciunas
Heading into this matchup against the Brooklyn Nets, Jonas Valanciunas is the most reliable presence on the floor for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jonas Valanciunas and Devonte Graham combined to score 76 points and shot 26/60 from the field (43.3%) and 8/23 from 3 (34.8%).
The rest of the team combined to score 24 points and shot 8/37 from the field (21.6%) and 1/13 from 3 (7.7%).
The Lithuanian big-man was acquired in the offseason from the Memphis Grizzlies and looked set to be a positive move for the New Orleans Pelicans. Offering a solid interior presence in scoring and rebounding while also being a decent stretch 5, Valanciunas has averaged 19.5 points and 13.9 rebounds to start the season.
Coming off another 20+ point performance, Valanciunas is the most balanced performer on the New Orleans Pelicans' roster.
Facing up against the Brooklyn Nets, the lack of a bonafide big man on the Nets' roster will give the Lithuanian an opportunity to dominate on the boards and score at the low post.
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Lineup
G - Devonte Graham | G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker | F - Josh Hart | F - Garrett Temple | C - Jonas Valanciunas
Nets vs Pelicans Match Prediction
The Brooklyn Nets will most likely emerge as the victors in this matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans.
With a severe deficiency in talent owing to the injuries of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, the New Orleans Pelicans have struggled to establish an identity as a team.
With the Brooklyn Nets still being led by the superstar pairing of Kevin Durant and James Harden, the side is favored to win this game.
Where to watch Nets vs Pelicans game?
The Brooklyn Nets vs New Orleans Pelicans game will be broadcast on Bally Sports New Orleans. It will also be available on the NBA's League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game on the radio by tuning into ESPN 100.3 FM.
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