NBA Notes: Hornets, LaMelo Ball, Nets, Egor Demin, Pelicans

Hornets

The Hornets got a jolt Thursday when LaMelo Ball came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season, doing so in the second night of a back-to-back and responding with more than 30 points for just the third time all year. It was a notable wrinkle for a team still searching for consistency.

That performance was quickly overshadowed two nights later. Charlotte steamrolled the Jazz by 55 points in one of the most lopsided wins in league history. According to Dunc’d On Daily Duncs, only three teams have ever won by that margin in a season in which they finished with fewer than 36 victories.

The Hornets remain on pace for a sub-30-win season, but their minus-0.6 point differential now sits ahead of the 24-14 Lakers, per ESPN.

Nets

The good feelings that carried the Nets through December have faded fast. Brooklyn has dropped seven of eight games since Dec. 29 and has fallen from the league’s top defense in December to 26th in January, allowing 118.8 points per 100 possessions.

Trade chatter around Michael Porter Jr. is expected to intensify as the deadline approaches.

One bright spot amid the slide has been rookie Egor Demin, who is scorching from deep this month, hitting 53 percent of his threes on more than six attempts per game.

Pelicans

The Pelicans finally snapped their second nine-game losing streak of the season Friday against Washington, which was playing without newly acquired Trae Young. Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson each topped 30 points, while rookie Derik Queen recorded a triple-double against his hometown team.

New Orleans followed with a more competitive showing in a loss at Orlando, but the bigger picture remains bleak.

The Pelicans sit at the bottom of the standings with just nine wins at the midpoint, having faced only one team outside the play-in picture since Christmas.