Feb. 6, 2026, 7:38 a.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (13-37) made some notable moves heading into Thursday’s trade deadline, especially waiving guard Cam Thomas, and the hope is that they could turn the page after the extended rut they’ve been in. Brooklyn had the chance to on the road to potentially upset the Orlando Magic (26-24), but they did not get the result they were hoping for.

The Nets lost at the Magic 118-98 on Thursday in a game where Brooklyn trailed by as many as 26 points in the game as Orlando got whatever they wanted on the floor. Rookie guard Egor Demin notched his career-high of 26 points to pair with four rebounds while fellow rookie guard Nolan Traore had 21 points and seven assists to finish the game as the starting point guard.

The Magic performed their gameplan to perfection as their offense created easy shots while their defense generated plenty of turnovers as guard Desmond Bane led the team in scoring with 23 points. Brooklyn will be back at home for Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards, but until then, here are three Nets takeaways from Thursday’s loss at the Magic:

Egor Demin Shines Despite The Loss

Demin has had some games in recent weeks where he has looked like the 19-year-old rookie that he is, but this game showed where Demin can be when he becomes more consistent on a game-by-game basis. Demin finished this game with 26 points, four rebounds, and two assists while shooting 66.7% from the field and 60.0% from three-point land, displaying that his long-range shooting appears to be here to stay.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Nolan Traore Looks More Confident By The Game

Traore has had some rough games over the course of this season as he tries to figure out in real-time at being an NBA point guard is like, but it’s clear that his confidence is growing by the game. Traore had arguably his best game of the campaign against the Magic as he finished with 21 points and seven assists while shooting 53.8% from the floor and 42.9% from deep, but he also picked up three fouls and turned the ball over four times. Progress is the key.

Michael Porter Jr. Struggles Once Again

Porter has had some duds this season after it looked like the beginning of the season that he would never score less than 25 points as long as the Nets were in the game. What this loss against the Magic indicates is that Porter is still figuring out how to counter defenses that are actively preventing him from seeing daylight off of screens while also making his passing decisions harder, especially since he’s prone to turnovers. Brooklyn’s offense may need to develop a counter for him of some sort.