Jan. 31, 2026, 1:30 p.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (13-34) were once again playing on the second night of a back-to-back after a tough loss at the Denver Nuggets in forward Michael Porter Jr.’s return to Denver. Brooklyn was getting somewhat of a relief with a matchup at the Utah Jazz (15-34) on Friday and the Nets found a way to close out the fourth quarter without Porter being available.

The Nets beat the Jazz on Friday 109-99 in a game that was mostly a back-and-forth affair thanks to players on both teams having stellar performances. Nets rookie guard Egor Demin played arguably his best basketball in his homecoming to Utah with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Cam Thomas had 21 points and four assists in his 24 minutes off the bench.

Part of the issue for the Nets when it comes to winning games without Porter in the lineup is the offensive end, but defensively, Brooklyn struggled to stay in front of guard Keyonte George (26 points, seven assists) and forward Brice Sensabaugh (18 points, five rebounds). Ultimately, the Nets were able to do enough on the offensive end to win this game so here are three Nets takeaways from Friday’s win at the Jazz:

Egor Demin Has Perfect Homecoming Result

Demin went back to Utah for the first time since his days with the BYU Cougars and he had the kind of homecoming that most players can only dream of. Demin had arguably his best game of the season with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists and more than that, he became the youngest player in NBA history to have a game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five three-pointers made.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Cam Thomas Regains Scoring Form

Thomas had been struggling mightily with his scoring ever since he came back on Dec. 27 and had one of the best games of his career at the Minnesota Timberwolves with 30 points and four assists. Since then, Thomas was averaging 11.1 points per game off the bench, but he was shooting just 36.4% from the field and 29.2% from three-point land. In this one, Thomas made sure to leave his mark as he scored 14 straight points during one segment of the game to finish with 21 points and four assists while shooting 46.7% from the floor.

Day’Ron Sharpe Takes Advantage Of Small Jazz

Sharpe has been impressive for the Nets over the past two seasons as he has come into his own as one of the most dependable centers coming off the bench that can also start when needed without much dropoff. With Utah missing plenty of size due to Lauri Markkanen and Jusuf Nurkic being ruled out for various reasons, Sharpe was able to take advantage with his 16 points and nine rebounds in just 18 minutes coming off the bench.