No luck for the Brooklyn Nets in New Orleans

BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 12 : Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets dries to the basket against the Washington Wizards on December 12, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - DECEMBER 12 : Caris LeVert #22 of the Brooklyn Nets dries to the basket against the Washington Wizards on December 12, 2017 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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New Orleans star power forward Anthony Davis got hot in the first half and the Pelicans handed the Brooklyn Nets their third straight loss.

A 17-0 third-quarter run couldn’t propel the Brooklyn Nets to a win Wednesday night at Smoothie King Center.

The Nets dropped their fourth consecutive road loss, 128-113.

One of Brooklyn’s starters finished in double-figures as Rondae Hollis-Jefferson posted 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 24 minutes. He also added a team-high seven rebounds.

For the second straight game, Brooklyn guard Caris LeVert scored a team-high 22 points as the Nets bench outscored New Orleans 80-23.

It was a big night for Rajon Rando and the Pelicans starting five. Rondo finished with a career-high 25 assists as Anthony Davis scored a game-high 33 points.

DeMarcus Cousins added 27 points and 14 rebounds as New Orleans guards Jrue Holiday and E’Twaun Moore combined for 43 points on 18-of-28 shooting.

Both teams shot exceptionally well from the three-point line. The Nets drained19 three-pointers in 38 tries as New Orleans made 17-of-33 from beyond the arc.

All 21 of Nik Stauskas’ points came from the three-point line as he finished as Brooklyn’s second-leading scorer.

The Nets had an early 8-5 lead but that quickly falter as the Pelicans used a 26-7 run over the next 8 minutes, 12 seconds to take a 31-15 lead.

Brooklyn would never make another substantial threat throughout the game.

The Pelicans led 69-46 at halftime due to a huge first-half by Davis. He finished with 15 first-half points that included three deep balls.

Kenny Atkinson and company ended the third quarter on a 17-0 run but they still trailed 91-75.

The deficit was just too large throughout the fourth-quarter even though a LeVert 27-foot three-pointer started a late Nets run.

With 2:51 to play Brooklyn ended the game on a 17-7 run. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the hole that they fell into earlier.

The Pelicans came into the game with the fourth-worst defensive rating in the NBA and it showed as the Nets put up 113 points.

However, New Orleans is also ranked fifth in the NBA for scoring and it showed tonight.

Next: How do the City Edition uniforms stack up to the rest?

Brooklyn’s bench continues to outplay its starting lineup. Atkinson may need to look for a lineup change as the Nets fall to 12-22 on the year.