Pelicans, Nets eager to halt pronounced slides

Two teams trending in the wrong direction will match up when the New Orleans Pelicans host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.

The Pelicans have the worst record in the NBA and have lost 11 of their last 12 games. New Orleans squandered an 11-point lead Tuesday night in a 122-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

After a surge in December, the Nets have lost seven of their last eight games. They are last in the NBA in rebounds per game (40.1) and second-to-last in field-goal percentage (44.6).

"So the shots aren't necessarily going in or not. I don't really care. Gotta take good shots. Gotta shoot them with conviction," Nets coach Jordi Fernandez said after his team's fourth straight loss, 113-105 to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.

"We got to create them with conviction, and then when you're in position, go and attack the glass because we have guys like Day'Day (Day'Ron Sharpe) and Mike (Michael Porter Jr.) and Nic (Claxton), Noah (Clowney), they can go fight for seconds, and that's a mentality we need to have."

Porter has been a big bright spot for the Nets and is one of the biggest names being talked about as the trade deadline approaches (Feb. 5). He leads Broo