Monday’s 113-105 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center marked the Nets’ fourth straight defeat, dropping them to 11-26 and extending a slide that has now reached seven losses in their last eight games.
And for the second straight night, the Nets were undone by a slow start and late execution.
Brooklyn was shorthanded again and it showed early. With Egor Dëmin and Cam Thomas sidelined for injury management and Ziaire Williams also in street clothes, the Nets leaned on Michael Porter Jr. in his return to the starting lineup for the second of three meetings with Dallas this season.
Porter, coming off one of his toughest shooting nights as a Net, briefly gave Brooklyn a spark by drilling his first 3-point attempt to put the Nets ahead 10–9. But that make was the lone bright spot from deep in the opening quarter. Brooklyn missed its next 10 shots from beyond the arc while the Mavericks found their rhythm, hitting seven of 11 from the field, with Klay Thompson and Jaden Hardy combining for six of them.
That disparity, coupled with Dallas doing more damage off turnovers despite both teams committing five, opened the early gap. The Mavericks carried a 35–25 lead into the second quarter, even as Porter scored nine points and Day’Ron Sharpe provided a lift off the bench with eight points and eight rebounds.
Cooper Flagg’s 15-footer gave Dallas a 43–30 lead with 6:56 left in the first half, and Brooklyn was just 1-for-16 from deep at that point. After a full timeout, the Nets finally showed signs of life, getting consecutive 3-pointers from Porter and Noah Clowney. Meanwhile, Sharpe continued to dominate inside, recording his second career single-half double-double in just 10:27 of action, the fastest double-double in the NBA this season.
But Flagg, on his way to 19 first-half points, continued to score at will, and Brooklyn had no answer. After cutting the deficit to seven with 5:20 left in the half, the Nets watched Dallas respond with a seven-point run to restore a 14-point cushion, taking a 56–45 lead into the break after Nolan Traore found Terance Mann at the buzzer for Brooklyn’s fourth 3-pointer on 22 first-half attempts.
Brooklyn shot just 34% in the first half, including 18.2% from 3-point range, while Dallas scored 10 points off seven Nets turnovers and went 8-for-16 from deep.
With Porter heating up, the Nets opened the third quarter with renewed energy. Brooklyn used a 13–7 run, highlighted by five points and four defensive rebounds from Porter, to pull within five with 7:32 left and briefly seize momentum. Drake Powell scored six points in the quarter and flashed his offensive upside, but Dallas quickly steadied itself with five straight points to push the lead back to 10.
Still, the Nets controlled the third quarter offensively, shooting 70.6% from the field, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range, with Porter sitting on an efficient 22 points and a seven-point deficit to overcome entering the final frame.
Flagg briefly left the game in the third quarter after rolling his ankle but returned for the final push.
Jalen Wilson went coast to coast for a layup, continuing to impact games in limited minutes, then Clowney drove and set up Sharpe for a dunk, trimming the deficit to three with 7:16 left. Thompson answered with another trey on Dallas’ ensuing possession, but the Nets continued to battle to close the gap.
But it was too much Flagg and Naji Marshall down the stretch, along with too many defensive breakdowns for Brooklyn to overcome. Flagg finished with 27 points, six of them in the fourth quarter, while Marshall scored 12 of his 22 points when it mattered most.
Dallas edged the fourth quarter 29–28, scored 22 points off 17 Brooklyn turnovers and knocked down 15 3-pointers at a 44.1% clip. The Nets, meanwhile, shot just 24.3% from deep. That disparity proved decisive, as Brooklyn generated quality looks throughout the night but struggled to make them count.
The Nets will finish their road trip Wednesday against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
