Feb. 2, 2026, 10:03 p.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets are coming off a rough five-game road trip as they come back home with just a 1-4 record with two more blowout losses to add to their season. Brooklyn is hoping to have a better February than they did in January and with a matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers coming up on Tuesday, the Nets will be getting back some much-needed reinforcements.

The Nets announced on Monday that forward Michael Porter Jr. is available for Tuesday’s game against the Lakers after missing the past two games due to personal reasons. Porter, who recently experienced a death in the family, did not play in the last two contests due to his personal reasons and while Brooklyn was able to go 1-1 in those games, it’s clear that the Nets’ offense suffers when Porter is out of the lineup.

“Porter also missed the game in Detroit on Sunday, and the Nets have now been 12.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (minus-2.1) than they’ve been with him off the floor,” John Schuhmann wrote for the NBA’s website when discussing Porter’s value to the Nets. Porter being back in the rotation should make Brooklyn more competitive against LeBron James and Los Angeles, especially with the other players potentially coming back.

Brooklyn also announced that forwards Noah Clowney and Ziaire Williams are probable for Tuesday’s game against the Lakers after missing some time due to their respective injuries. Clowney missed the entire road trip due to lower back sprain while Williams missed the last three games of the road trip after suffering his left calf contusion in a 106-102 loss at the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 27.

If Clowney and Williams are able to play on Tuesday against Los Angeles, the Nets will have their starting power forward back in the lineup along with one of their best perimeter defenders back on the floor as well. The Lakers are a tough team to defend with James and Luka Doncic leading the team with the ball in their hands, especially against a Brooklyn team that has struggled to defend teams outside of December.

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