Jan. 10, 2026, 11:17 a.m. ET

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (11-24) had the opportunity to begin a new winning streak in front of their fans in Friday’s matchup against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers (14-23). Brooklyn was coming off a tough overtime loss to the Orlando Magic so the focus surely would have been there out of the game, but the Nets just didn’t have the necessary juice.

The Nets lost to the Clippers 121-105 in a game where Brooklyn never actually earned a lead and Los Angeles led by as many as 23 points in the contest. Rookie guard Egor Demin led the way for the Nets with 19 points and three assists while forward Michael Porter Jr. struggled mightily to a statline of 18 points (7-of-20 shooting from the field) and five rebounds.

Taking into account that the entire Brooklyn offense struggled outside of Porter’s uncharacteristically-poor shooting game, the defense also dropped the ball by allowing the Clippers to shoot 59.0% from the field. Los Angeles, led by James Harden’s 31 points and six assists, had control of the game from the beginning so here are three Nets takeaways from Friday’s loss to the Clippers:

Egor Demin Steps Up Once Again

While Porter and Cam Thomas have been the two best scorers on the roster, Demin has been asked to carry some of the scoring load, especially when players like Porter are struggling like he did in this one. Demin’s scoring still largely comes behind the three-point line, but his willingness to take some hard shots while experimenting with his in-between game is encouraging for his ceiling on the offensive end of the floor.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Michael Porter Jr. Struggles Mightily

Porter struggled immensely shooting the ball against the Clippers, even on some of the looks that he has made throughout the course of this season. Just to paint a picture of how unique Friday’s game was for Porter, it was just his sixth time this season (out of 29 games) shooting below 40.0% from the field and was the only game this season where he didn’t make a three-pointer (0-for-9).

Both Ends Of The Floor Were Disappointing

From the beginning, it seemed like the Nets were a step slow, especially as the Clippers raced out to a 16-2 run where they were getting whatever shot they wanted while Brooklyn couldn’t buy a bucket. After showing how dominant they could be on the defensive end of the floor in December, the Nets have not shown that level of defensive intensity outside of holding the Orlando Magic to 104 points in Wednesday’s overtime loss.