March 1, 2026, 6:57 p.m. ET
NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets (15-45) are still looking for their first win coming out of the All-Star break, but they had a better chance of ending their losing streak with the Cleveland Cavaliers (38-24) missing Donovan Mitchell due to injury. Brooklyn came into the game dealing with two injuries to center Nic Claxton and rookie guard Egor Demin and it seems like the Nets could have used both of them.
The Nets lost to the Cavaliers on Sunday 106-102 despite the fact that Brooklyn never trailed by more than 11 points as they had arguably their best effort since coming back from the break. Forward Michael Porter Jr. led the way for the Nets with 26 points and five rebounds while rookie forward Danny Wolf had 23 points and nine rebounds coming off the bench.
The main reason that the Cavaliers were able to emerge from this game with a victory was due to the efforts of guard James Harden (22 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) and center Jarrett Allen (20 points, six rebounds). Brooklyn was unable to come away from this game with their desired result, but they gave a much better effort. Here are the Nets player grades after Sunday’s loss to the Cavaliers:
Nolan Traore: B
Traore struggled with his long-range shot in this one as he was going against James Harden for the majority of his minutes on the floor and Harden can make things different for his opponents with his strength and craftiness. Traore mostly struggled shooting the ball from behind the three-point line, but his impact on the offensive end somewhat mitigated his issues taking care of the basketball and defending his man without fouling.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Terance Mann: C-
With rookie guard Egor Demin out for this game due to the team managing his left plantar fascia injury, Mann was able to enter the starting lineup, but he had a mostly underwhelming performance. Given how Mann has been scoring the ball coming off the bench recently, it was disappointing to see him be a non-factor in that aspect, but he did a good job of organizing the offense and getting the ball to his teammates.
Michael Porter Jr.: A
Porter did a good job of scoring the ball in this one as it seems that his three-point rut has ended with the way that he’s been shooting the ball in recent games. While Porter has been struggling with his three-point shot, he still remains a steady presence within Brooklyn’s offense and has shown his ability to be one of the better finishers in the league once he gets in the paint.
Noah Clowney: D
Clowney had one of his quietest games of the season as he didn’t have much of a presence within the offensive flow despite the fact that he wasn’t terribly inefficient. Clowney has had some games where he can pop as a shooter and a player who can take advantage of the gravity generated from players like Porter, but this was one of those disappointing games for the third-year forward.
Day’Ron Sharpe: C+
With Nic Claxton out of the rotation for this game as he deals with a thumb injury, Sharpe was back in the starting lineup and he had a solid performance for the most part. Sharpe did a good job of finishing at the rim despite going against the likes of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley to couple with his rebounding ability, but he also struggled with turnovers and fouls over the course of his minutes as well.
Ziaire Williams: B
Williams had one of his most efficient games on the offensive end of the floor as he was effective with his touches, both scoring and distributing the ball to his teammates. Williams wasn’t particularly involved when it came to his scoring, but he did a good job of passing the ball in the half-court and in transition while also applying perimeter pressure on the defensive end.
Josh Minott: C+
Minott saw some extended playing time in this one due to some of the injuries in the rotation and he played some solid basketball minus the fireworks that he showed against the Boston Celtics. Minott has shown an ability to score the ball in a variety of ways while also using his athleticism to make impact plays on both ends of the court, especially in the open-court.
Grant Nelson: A
Nelson got his first taste of NBA action on Friday against the Celtics, but it seemed like that was just a warm-up for what happened in this contest as he showed his ability to make impactful plays on both ends of the floor. Nelson did a good job of scoring the ball at the rim or getting to the free-throw line, and he made plenty of plays at the rim on the defensive end of the floor.
Danny Wolf: A
Wolf has had some tough moments over the course of his rookie season, but there are games like this that explain why the Nets were so excited with him to take him in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Wolf showed his versatility as a scorer, especially when his three-point shot is falling and he displayed his ability to rebound the basketball and pass when he is making the right decisions.
Ben Saraf: C
With Demin out of the lineup, someone had to fill the time as the backup point guard and that’s where Saraf came into play after he spent some time in the G League. Saraf struggled mightily with his shooting, especially from behind the three-point line, but he did a good job of passing the ball without turning it over so it seems that he’s developing in that department.