The 2-4 Brooklyn Nets and the 1-5 New Orleans Pelicans are two teams who are trending down. Being young and all, though, the latter have more leeway in the fans’ eyes.
Nevertheless, this is match-up that will showcase a pair of squads that are eager to breakout.
The Nets’ offense is fine. Their defense? Not so much.
The Nets are doing well balancing the offense. Kyrie Irving has scored big (30.5 PPG), including a 50-point outburst in the season-opener, and he’s also trying to be a facilitator, which is evident in currently netting a career-high 7.5 APG. Irving’s supporting cast is also doing a decent job on offense – Caris LeVert (18.8 PPG), Taurean Prince (15.5 PPG), Spencer Dinwiddie (15.2 PPG), and Joe Harris (14.3 PPG) are all scoring well.
Defensively, the Nets are 26th in points allowed per game (119.7) and 21st in defensive rating, which is a bad mix to their inability to handle the ball (29th in turnovers).
The Pelicans are identical to the Nets
In terms of offensive efficiency and defensive inefficiency, the Pelicans are a mirror of image of the Nets. The Pels are blasting opponents on offense courtesy of a booming attack that have them ranking first in assists, second in threes made, fourth in points, and sixth in offensive rating. Seven Pelicans are also averaging in double figures, led by Brandon Ingram who’s stepping up to have a big year (23.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4.2 APG on 51.5% shooting).
As for the atrocity in defense, New Orleans is probably second to none. The team has not shown quality defense in any of its six games, even in the win over the Nuggets, where their high-powered offense was the winning factor. The Pelicans are 29th in points allowed per game (122.5) and their ranking for every other defensive stat are also at the bottom.
PREDICTION:
Since the Nets have an edge in how they execute offensively and defensively, they should be able to earn a win.
Expect to see a fast-paced, quick-trigger offense from both sides. Fantasy basketball freaks who have players on these teams should be in for a fun watch.
