Michael Porter Jr. explains the insane mistake that cost Brooklyn a win over the Celtics

The Brooklyn Nets they were seconds away from their best win of the season on Friday. Days after the second-worst defeat in franchise history, Jordi Fernandez’s team overcame several late deficits to take a three-point lead over Boston Celtics with 2.5 seconds left. however, a serious mistake cost the Nets during a 130-126 double overtime loss at the Barclays Center.

Lead 118-115, defensive error left Hugo Gonzalez wide open for the third corner that tied the game with 0.4 seconds remaining. The Celtics outscored the Nets 12-8 in the second overtime to secure the win.

Fernandez called Brooklyn’s defensive gaffe a “miscommunication.” however, Michael Porter Jr., who tried to pass a cutting Gonzalez to Noah Clowney in the corner, went into further detail about what led to the costly breakdown.

“During the timeout, we decided to zone the three-point line and everybody has a certain zone at the arc. But then they came out, and their game wasn’t what we thought it was going to be,” Porter said. “We thought everyone was going to start inside the three-point line, but they all started high. So at the last minute, some of us were confused if we were going to step up or zone now. . . . Obviously, it was poorly executed. I tried to get a guy to Noah on that side, and we just weren’t all on the same page.”

“Coach Jordi was trying to communicate from the sidelines, but it was such a crunch time, we didn’t know… But yeah, it’s up to us as players to communicate, and obviously the first thing is not to give up the wide open corner uncontested 3… We were just upset. We have to learn better from that, hopefully in the next situation.”

Hugo Gonzalez. CLUTCH.

Hit a triple to send the game into DOUBLE OVERTIME 🤯 pic.tvitter.com/lszFiZIoiC

— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2026

MPJ on Hugo Gonzalez game, tying three:

-The Nets drew a zone around the 3-point line during a timeout
– The Celtics came out with a different set than they expected
– Some networks have adapted to humans, and some have remained in the zone

Miscommunication that loses the game. pic.twitter.com/7v05m5lkGi

— Eric Slater (@erikslater_) January 24, 2026

Gonzalez’s 3-pointer wasn’t Brooklyn’s only costly mistake in overtime.

Nets drop heartbreaker against Celtics at Barclays Center after late rally

Leading with five and eight seconds left, the Celtics hit Amari Williams’ full-court shot. The rookie is an even-keeled free throw shooter and only entered the game in overtime after Neemias Cueta and Luca Garza fouled out. Instead of fouling Williams, the Nets let him throw a touchdown pass to Peyton Pritchard for a 3-pointer.

Pritchard finished with a game-high 32 points on 13-of-24 shooting from the field and 6-of-11 from three.

“We played well late in many games, especially defensively. There were two situations today where we could have been better,” Fernandez said. “We’re up five, they throw a field goal, and you have a chance to foul the center right there. And then, he probably would have made one free throw, and it’s game over. We didn’t make it, and they made three. Then the other is we’re around the 3-point line, there’s a miscommunication, and they get a wide zone like these things together. We’ve done it in previous games … We made a few mistakes today, and those mistakes in this league against a very good team make you pay.”

A couple of defensive mistakes will overshadow Brooklyn’s spirited effort. Trailing by 10 with three minutes left in the game, the Nets battled into overtime. With four less than two minutes left in overtime, they rallied again and took the lead.

Led by Nick Claxton’s perimeter defense, Fernandez’s team held Jaylen Brown to 9-of-27 shooting.

“We played a really good game,” Claxton said. “I feel like we deserved to win. We just didn’t do enough down the stretch, so we have to learn from it. But it’s still a tough loss. This one really hurt.”

Porter led Brooklyn with 30 points, eight rebounds and four assists on 9-of-19 shooting. Claxton added 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks on 8-of-13 shooting.

Nolan Traore turned in his best performance of the season, making several clutch shots during a late rally by the Nets. The rookie finished with 21 points, two assists and just two turnovers on 7-of-13 shooting while playing a career-high 36 minutes. He closed the match against fellow rookie Egor Demin.

While a late turnover and a missed free throw before Gonzalez’s three were costly, Traore’s contribution down the stretch against one of the NBA’s best teams was encouraging.

“It can show him he belongs here,” Clacton said of Traore’s clutch minutes. “I remember when I first started getting those minutes, it feels good, to be able to impact the game. He’s done a lot of good things for us, going downhill, getting into the paint, splashing and making good plays. Obviously, he has. There’s a lot of things he can get better at and learn from, but we’re going to need that level of play from him in the future.”

While Friday’s loss left the Brooklyn locker room somber, it comes with a silver lining.

The Nets remain fifth in the lottery standings and have the same number of wins (12) as the fourth-place Sacramento Kings. They are just one win ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans and Indiana Pacers, who won Friday and are in second and third place.