Jordi Fernandez Michael Porter Jr.’s bench comes with a direct ‘challenge’

ByNBAUSA


The Brooklyn Nets lost their ninth straight game on Tuesday, 124-98 to Miami Heat in the center of Kasei. After the fight next to Michael Porter Jr., Nic Clacton had an apt description of his team’s performance in their first back-to-back in South Beach.

“It was an all-around stench,” Clacton said.

The Nets are looking for wins off the scoreboard during the renewal season. However, they would be hard-pressed to find many of Tuesday’s performances.

Jordi Fernandez’s team was abysmal on both ends, shooting 33-of-96 (38.4 percent) from the field and 6-of-32 (18.8 percent) from three while committing 18 turnovers. Brooklyn struggled to get into their offensive sets all night against Miami’s attacking defense.

Porter turned in his worst performance of the season, scoring nine points on 3-of-17 shooting from the field and 0-of-9 from three. Fernandez pulled his best player two minutes into the third quarter, holding him until 9:43 into the fourth.

The two exchanged words several times during Porter’s bench.

“I want Mike and the first group to play as hard as they can,” Fernandez said of his decision to pull Porter. “I want to challenge them to do that, because I’ve seen them do it, especially defensively. If that happens, I can live with whatever happens. If that’s there, then you’re unselfish, you play for the team and only good things happen. I try to challenge each guy in different ways.”

Porter has been among the NBA’s leading scorers early this season, averaging 25.6 points on .482/.398/.851 shooting in his first 38 games.

Michael Porter Jr., rookie point guards struggle as Nets drop ninth straight

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the second quarter at Casey Center.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Many expected Porter’s first half performance earned him his first All-Star selectionsomething he admitted motivated him. However, the 27-year-old’s production has fallen off a cliff since it was shut down.

Porter is averaging 19.2 points on 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 23.5 percent (20-of-85) from three in his last 11 outings. He posted a -21.5 net rating during that period compared to a -1.5 net rating previously.

While Porter has been awful, the historically poor performance of Brooklyn’s rookies has been equally debilitating. With Egor Demin was excludedNolan Traore and Ben Saraf had zero assists and six turnovers through three quarters.

The Heat outscored the Nets 16-6 in points after three periods, building a lead they would never look back from.

“(Nolan and Ben) have to grow. They have to grow and watch it and learn from it,” Fernandez said. “And I know they’re better. It’s not an excuse if they’re young. I’ve watched them play, and they’re a lot better than 12 turnovers to zero assists. How they organize the team, how loud they are, that’s all important.”

Noah Clowney was one of Brooklyn’s lone bright spots on Tuesday. The third-year forward had 17 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Danny Wolf added 11 points, five rebounds and five assists on 5-of-10 shooting in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Nets’ nine-game skid has them tied with the Indiana Pacers for second in the draft lottery list. They are just 1.5 games behind the Sacramento Kings for first place.

Brooklyn will get a chance at revenge on Thursday in a rematch with Miami at the Cassia Center.

“It’s tough, honestly. To pile up losses, it’s hard to keep your good energy. But that’s what we have to do,” Claxton said. “We play (Miami) in a few days, and we just have to try to find that good energy, especially in the coming stages so we don’t get punched in the mouth.”





2026-03-04 14:24:00

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