Nets at Pelicans
Regardless of who is on the floor, New Orleans is playing like it really wants to continue its playoff push. The shorthanded Pelicans, coming off perhaps their finest victory of the season, aim for a third straight win Wednesday when they host Brooklyn. After picking up a 14-point win at Miami in a game that saw All-Star forward Anthony Davis and key reserve Ryan Anderson leave with early injuries, New Orleans stormed back from 18 points down to stun Toronto 100-97 at home on Monday.
"It was a total team effort," head coach Monty Williams said after his bench produced 55 points and carried the load in the stretch run. "You don't get to say that a lot when you're coaching sports, but tonight was for sure." The Nets, who are five games into an eight-game stretch away from home that straddled the All-Star break, needed no such late-game drama to knock off Denver by a 110-82 margin Monday. Newcomer Thaddeus Young was one of seven players in double figures with 15 points.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, YES (Brooklyn), FSN New Orleans
ABOUT THE NETS (23-31): Point guard Jarrett Jack remains questionable with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last two games, but Deron Williams has been rejuvenated stepping back into the starting lineup. The veteran has averaged 14 points and 13.5 assists since Jack went down, looking like his former self for a team that appears energized after the All-Star break. Rookie Markel Brown added plenty of that energy in his first career start Monday, finishing with career highs of 10 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and two steals in 45 minutes.
ABOUT THE PELICANS (29-27): With Davis and Anderson out, New Orleans was without three of its top four scorers and likely wondering where its offense would come from. Newcomer Norris Cole has proven to be a great fit on that end of the floor since arriving at the trade deadline, scoring 12 points at Miami and then producing 15 and six assists in just 25 minutes against Toronto. Thirteen of those points came in the fourth quarter and the last of the assists went on a 3-pointer by Luke Babbitt, who also stepped up off the bench with a season-high 18 points.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Nets reportedly agreed to a 10-day contract with F Thomas Robinson, who was waived by Denver after being acquired in a trade with Portland at the deadline.
2. New Orleans C Omer Asik is averaging 14.5 points and 10 rebounds during the two-game winning streak and has a chance Wednesday to post three straight double-digit scoring efforts for the first time since last April.
3. The Pelicans erased a 22-point deficit before securing a 109-104 win in overtime in the last meeting March 24, 2014, in New Orleans.