Jordi Fernandez reveals how Brooklyn held Tyrese Maxey to worst shooting night of the season

Tyrese McKay he was among the best scorers in the NBA this season. However, the Philadelphia 76ers the star was not even the ever-growing defense of the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

The Nets held Maxey to his worst offensive performance of the season, limiting him to 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting as he cruised to a 114-106 victory.

“I think our pressure on the ball was good. We always have bodies in front of us, and we all know how special a player he is and how disruptive he is,” Jordi Fernandez said. “He can drive you crazy the whole game because he’s so good. He probably didn’t have an impact today, but he still creates so much attention. Every time he ran to get the ball, or had the ball in his hands, we were aware. So happy for the guys, I think they did a great job. Not just against him, but the whole game defensively it was a good game.”

The victory marked the Nets sixth in last nine games. They hold the NBA’s best defense in December, limiting opponents to 102.7 points per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the field and 29.8 percent from three.

The surging Nets shut out the 76ers for their sixth win in nine games

However, the 76ers have been tilting since Tuesday represented the Nets’ toughest test during that stretch. Despite VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes missing the game, McKay, Joel Embiid, Paul George and Jared McCain were a step up from the offense Brooklyn faced this month.

Fernandez’s team was more than ready for the challenge. They held Philadelphia to 33-of-81 (40.7 percent) shooting from the field and 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) from three while forcing 16 turnovers.

After posting the NBA’s worst defensive rating (128.5) during their 0-7 start, the Nets rank sixth (111.7) over their last 21 games with a 9-12 record. Extras from Egor Demin (6-foot-9) and Noah Clowney (6-foot-10) to a starting five that already included Terrance Mann (6-foot-6), Michael Porter Jr. (6-foot-10) and Nic Clacton (6-foot-11) matched that dramatic improvement.

Brooklyn’s starting lineup has an average height of 6-foot-9 and an average wingspan of seven feet. That length has overwhelmed the 76ers and numerous other opponents during the team’s recent stretch.

“It’s like the new NBA,” Nick Claxton said. “It’s a lot of length, a lot of positional basketball. A lot of people can do multiple things there, whether it’s guarding multiple positions or different things on the opposite side of the ball. It (the starting five) is a really good group, and we just have to continue to grow together as a unit.”

Michael Porter Jr. continued to fuel the Nets’ offense during Tuesday’s win. The 6-foot-10 forward scored 25 points in the first half and finished with 28. Porter Jr. this season he is averaging 25.6 points on 49/49/82. The Nets are 9-9 in their last 18 games.

Yegor Demin showed himself once again at a high level. Novak scored 20 points, five rebounds and five assists while shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-9 from three. After the 76ers cut a 19-point deficit to single digits late in the fourth quarter, he drained back-to-back 3-pointers to put the game out of reach.

The show comes after Demin hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter on Sunday to seal the victory over the Toronto Raptors. Demin scored 14 points in four consecutive games for the first time this season.

Yegor Demin drives two daggers into the heart of the 76ers. pic.twitter.com/iKSDv7P9vOI

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) December 24, 2025

Claxton had 16 points, 10 rebounds and two assists on 6-of-7 shooting in the win. Noah Clowney added 13 points, while Dai’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams added nine points each off the bench.