Jordi Fernández obviously didn’t ease into this one. With Michael Porter Jr. out, Noah Clowney still sidelined and a season-high-tying seven-game losing streak hanging over the trip, the Nets leaned hard into youth Friday night in Utah and were rewarded for it.
Brooklyn beat the Utah Jazz 109-99 at Delta Center, improving to 13-34 and snapping that skid behind a bold starting lineup that featured three rookies and a breakout performance from Egor Dëmin in a building that meant something to him.
It was the first time the Nets had started three rookies in a game since Cam Thomas’ rookie season in 2021, with Dëmin, Nolan Traoré and Danny Wolf joining Terance Mann and Nic Claxton in the opening group. The decision mattered. So did the response.
Dëmin, back in Utah as a much-improved player after his lone college season at BYU, set the tone immediately. His first 3-pointer of the night established a new NBA rookie record with triples made in 34 consecutive games, and he knocked down two more in his first six minutes. For long stretches early, he was Brooklyn’s offense.
Utah answered behind Keyonte George and Kyle Filipowski, who found a rhythm of their own, but Dëmin’s shot-making and a balanced Nets bench effort kept Brooklyn afloat. Five early points from Thomas and four from Day’Ron Sharpe helped the Nets edge into the second quarter up 27-26, even as four turnovers turned into six Jazz points and prevented any real separation.
The game shifted when Thomas checked back in.
With Porter sidelined, Brooklyn needed scoring from somewhere, and Thomas delivered his best stretch in weeks. He scored 14 straight points in the second quarter, pushing the Nets out to an eight-point lead with 7:20 left in the half. By the time he sat again, Thomas had 19 points in his first 11 minutes, tying his season high for points in a quarter and giving Brooklyn some breathing room.
It didn’t last. After the Nets led by as many as 14, Utah closed the half on a 14-2 run, wiping out the cushion and sending the teams into the break with momentum back in the Jazz’s hands. George matched Thomas with 19 first-half points and finished the night with 26 on 11 shots, along with seven assists.
The second half never settled into anything clean. Ace Bailey scored 10 points in the third quarter for Utah, but Brooklyn matched it shot for shot, leaning into its depth and physicality. The moment that cut through came from Dëmin. With 5:11 left in the third, he went coast to coast for a left-handed dunk that stood as the most forceful play of his young NBA career so far. It put the Nets up seven and captured the feel of a game that would trade punches for all 48 minutes.
Both teams scored 29 in the third, and Brooklyn carried an 83-81 edge into the fourth.
That’s where the details won it.
With Thomas back on the floor, the Nets opened the final period on an 8-0 run. Then the rookies finished the job. Dëmin buried a 3. Wolf followed with one of his own. Dëmin then drilled the biggest shot of the night with 4:45 left, his sixth 3-pointer, a make that finally gave Brooklyn real control. Traoré chipped in with a key late block. Wolf stretched the lead to 15 with 1:12 remaining.
The Nets also won where effort still matters. They scored 20 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds, the clearest separator in the game. Sharpe led that charge with three offensive boards, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench.
Dëmin finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Thomas had 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting in 24 minutes off the bench. Wolf added 14 points, five rebounds and two assists. Traoré had seven points and six assists. Drake Powell finished with two points, two rebounds and an assist in 16 minutes and didn’t generate the same buzz as his rookie counterparts.
It was also the Nets’ first win of the season without Porter after entering the night 0-8 without him.
Brooklyn will finish the road trip Sunday against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
