The Brooklyn Nets (1-8) did not have the kind performance that they wanted in their first game of the NBA Cup on Friday as they suffered a blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons. Brooklyn understands that while each loss hurts, there will be a new game to see if they can earn a win, but they had one of their toughest tests of the season to this point as they visited the New York Knicks (6-3).
The Nets lost at the Knicks on Sunday 134-98 in a game that became a blowout from the first quarter with the way that New York was scoring at will against Brooklyn’s defense. Forward Michael Porter Jr. led the way for the Nets to the tune of 25 points and four rebounds while rookie forward Drake Powell impressed on the road with his 15 points and three assists of the bench.
It seems that Brooklyn has not figured out how to improve their defense as they allowed Jalen Brunson and the Knicks to shoot 54.5% from the field and 45.9% from three-point land for the entire game. The Nets will have to do what they can to lessen the amount of points they give up, but in the meantime, here are three Nets takeaways from Sunday’s loss at the Knicks:
Nets Defense Could Just Be This Bad
One of the main themes of this season has been just how bad Brooklyn’s defense has been to begin the campaign, especially against some of the better teams in the league. At some point, even if the Nets don’t end up winning more games as a result, they have to find a way to address their defense so that they can remain competitive in games long enough to be able to evaluate what’s happening on the floor.
Ziaire Williams Remains Steady
After the past two games in which Williams did not shoot the ball from behind the three-point line, he found his touch against the Knicks and that was in addition to making some nice plays on the defensive end of the floor. Williams has been a steady contributor coming off the bench, but the hope is that the Nets can stop blowouts from happening as often so that players like Williams can play more before the white flag is thrown.
Drake Powell Shows More Of His Potential
While the Nets have lost nine of their first 10 games this season, rookie forward Drake Powell has been one of the more encouraging parts of this campaign, especially the way that he is showing more of what he can do. Powell came into the 2025 NBA Draft as one of the most athletic players in the class, but recently, he has shown his ability to shoot the ball and make some things happen off the dribble.