Noah Clowney delivered another breakout performance with 29 points and career highs in free throws made (10) and attempted (12), but it still wasn’t enough. The Utah Jazz surged in the fourth quarter to snap Brooklyn’s two-game win streak and send the Nets to 5-17 after a 123-110 win.
And for most of the night, it looked like Brooklyn had done enough to extend that streak.
Clowney picked up right where he left off in Chicago, burying three first-quarter 3-pointers and scoring 14 points to help Brooklyn offset some early shooting struggles. The Nets defended well again, holding Utah to 40% from the field and forcing three turnovers, and a 9–2 bench-scoring edge pushed the lead to 29–20 after one. Clowney’s 14 points tied the highest-scoring quarter of his career.
Brooklyn stretched the margin to 15 midway through the second behind Ziaire Williams’ scoring spark and a Danny Wolf triple, but Utah countered with a rapid 3-point barrage, with four makes in just over two minutes, to cut the lead to four. The Nets responded by tightening the defense and attacking the paint, outscoring Utah 13–8 the rest of the half to take a 58–49 lead into the break. Both Wolf and Egor Dëmin knocked down timely 3s during the run.
Terance Mann, back in the lineup after a two-game absence, took a hard fall late in the second quarter but returned to start the third and appeared to be moving well. His free throws and connective play helped Brooklyn navigate the early turbulence of the period before the Nets’ bench seized control late.
Brooklyn’s nine-point cushion didn’t hold for long in the third, as early turnovers and missed 3s allowed Keyonte George heat up and slash the lead to one possession. But the Nets countered with their bigs. Clowney steadied the offense at the line, Wolf added seven points and a big pick-and-pop triple, and Day’Ron Sharpe’s work inside helped re-establish control of the game.
From there, the Nets’ energy took over. They forced five turnovers and turned several into runouts, highlighted by a Ben Saraf steal-and-score that pushed the lead back to nine. Clowney capped his nine-point quarter with a driving finish through contact, and Wolf added another layup, giving Brooklyn a 90–81 lead heading into the fourth.
But once again, the lead didn’t last. The game was tied at 98 with 7:12 remaining, and moments later Utah had its first lead since the opening quarter. The Jazz kept pushing, eventually building their largest advantage of the night, a nine-point cushion with 3:39 left, after back-to-back 3s from Kyle Filipowski and Lauri Markkanen.
In the end, the Nets shot just 35% in the final quarter and committed seven turnovers, while Utah outscored them 42-20, shot 63.6% and hit six 3s. Markkanen scored 10 of his game-high 30 points in the period, and George added 29 points and 10 assists to fuel the Jazz’s comeback.
The loss spoiled a tremendous night for Brooklyn’s bench, which outscored Utah’s reserves 63–37, with Williams (23), Wolf (17), Sharpe (10) and Saraf (12) all finishing in double figures. After the game, head coach Jordi Fernández revealed that Dëmin had been battling upper respiratory issues throughout the evening, resulting in his limited usage.
The Nets are back at Barclays Center on Saturday to face the New Orleans Pelicans.
