Michael Porter Jr under the Brooklyn Nets jersey
Michael Porter Jr at the heart of NBA trade rumors before the deadline
Jan 5, 2026
Sylvain Sultat
The Nets suffer a heavy defeat against the Clippers, their 5th in a row
Brooklyn falls heavily 126-89 against Los Angeles. The Nets extend their losing streak with a fifth consecutive defeat, in another disappointing performance.
Jan 25, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) moves to the basket against Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton (33) during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Photo Credit : © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The Brooklyn Nets experienced a nightmarish evening Sunday night at the Intuit Dome, falling 126-89 to the Los Angeles Clippers. This fifth consecutive defeat perfectly illustrates the current difficulties of the New York team, which seems to have lost its competitiveness.
Coach Jordi Fernandez didn’t mince words after this rout: « We won the third quarter; we were competitive for those six minutes of the second period. Outside of that, the other 30 minutes, we played like a losing team. You can lose; and you can be a loser. So for 18 minutes, we lost and we were competitive. And for 30, we were losers. »
Head Coach Jordi Fernández reflects on tonight’s game and shares his thoughts on the Nets main focus moving forward. #NETSonYES pic.twitter.com/IXnzcoxA16
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) January 26, 2026
A catastrophic start that sank the Nets
Brooklyn collapsed from the start, conceding a terrible 38-14 in the first quarter, their lowest offensive total of the season in a single period. The Nets quickly fell behind by 40 points and never managed to turn things around.
Michael Porter Jr., usually the Nets’ offensive leader averaging 25.4 points, was limited to just 9 points on 3/11 shooting and 0/4 from 3-point range. The player, who is suffering from a medial collateral ligament sprain, acknowledged his team’s difficulties: « They were simply the better team. There wasn’t much to say. They dominated us in the last game and they dominated us Sunday. We need to get back to competing every night. »
Young prospects Danny Wolf (14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists) and Egor Demin (12 points) tried to provide a spark, but their efforts weren’t enough against the Clippers’ dominance. Kawhi Leonard shined with 28 points, while former Net James Harden added 22 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.
With a record of 12 wins and 32 losses, Brooklyn holds the fifth position in the lottery standings, just two wins away from the top three highly coveted spots. This painful rebuild raises important questions before the February 5th trade deadline, as the organization must determine which players fit the mindset sought for the franchise’s future
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