The Brooklyn Nets (9-19) have been playing their best basketball of the season in December as they have figured out how to fix their porous defense. After beating the Toronto Raptors in convincing fashion on Sunday, Brooklyn had a tough matchup on the road at the Philadelphia 76ers (16-12), but the Nets figured out how to close the game in the fourth quarter.

The Nets beat the 76ers 114-106 after leading Philadelphia by as many as 19 points thanks to a combination of forward Michael Porter Jr.’s heroics along with the team’s defensive effort. Porter finished the game with 28 points and five rebounds while rookie Egor Demin rose to the occasion in front of a hostile crowd with 20 points and five assists of his own.

The Nets looked like they were going to drop the ball in the fourth quarter after being unable to make a field-goal for almost four minutes, but Brooklyn took advantage of the fact that 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey struggled to just 3-of-14 shooting from the field for 13 points. The Nets pulled out a huge win on the road so here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s win at the 76ers:

Michael Porter Jr. Sets The Tone With Hot Offensive Start

In a game where the Nets were almost double-digit underdogs to a 76ers team that was missing three rotational players, Porter stepped up in a major way to set the tone on the road. Porter finished the game with an impressive 28 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field, but in the first half, he dropped 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor as Philadelphia didn’t have an answer for the sharpshooting forward.

Rookie Egor Demin Steps Up In The Fourth Quarter

Demin had one of his best games of the season as he dropped 20 points, two rebounds, and five assists during his 33 minutes on the floor. The rookie had a slow start to the contest as he totaled just five points in the first half, but in the final 24 minutes of the game, Demin put up 15 points and two assists while shooting 4-of-5 from behind the three-point line in what was a clutch performance from the 19-year-old.

Nets Have Recovered From Horrific Start To Season

After starting the season with an 1-11 record due to one of the worst defensive performances by a team in NBA history, the Nets have recovered from that awful to have an 8-8 record in their past 16 games. Brooklyn has done that by being one of the best defenses in the league so far in December, putting them in the conversation with teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder in terms of defensive numbers. The Nets are 9-2 this season when allowing 110 points or less to their opponents so defense is the name of the game.