Brooklyn moved up three spots in the NBA rankings after its second win of the season
The Brooklyn Nets are gradually improving after a historically poor start to the 2025-26 campaign. Jordi Fernandez’s team achieved their second victory on Sunday, dominating the Washington Wizards 129-106 at the Capital One Center. Brooklyn nearly swept the Orlando Magic on the road Friday, taking a 98-94 lead with 1:58 left before falling in the final minutes.
Those performances got the Nets going climbed three spots to No. 27 in this week’s NBA.com Power Rankings. They passed the Wizards (30), Indiana Pacers (29) and New Orleans Pelicans (28).
The Nets jumped three spots in the NBA Power Rankings after their win over the Wizards
The Nets’ defense has been their biggest obstacle to competing early in the year. However, they showed signs of life at that end during the weekend. Brooklyn has allowed 110.5 points per 100 possessions over the last two games, holding the Magic and Wizards to a combined 73-of-162 (45.1 percent) shooting and forcing 31 turnovers.
The Nets were outscored 25-5 in second-chance points during the Magic loss. However, they improved on the boards against the Wizards, limiting Washington to three offensive rebounds en route to a 12-7 advantage in second-chance points.
Michael Porter Jr. and Nick Claxton have led Brooklyn offensively since the injury to Cam Thomas. Porter Jr. averaged 27.3 points and 3.7 assists on a 48/36/88 shooting split in his last six appearances. He recorded a career-high seven assists in back-to-back games against Orlando and Washington. meanwhile, Claxton is averaging 15.2 points and 3.9 assists per game this season, both career highs, while his true shooting percentage was 64.8, his highest percentage since 2022-23.
Sunday’s win eliminated the Nets to fourth place in the draw tablebehind the Pacers, Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans. Brooklyn ranks 27th in net rating (-11.4), ahead of each of those teams. Washington and Indiana have emerged as legitimate threats to finish ahead of the Nets in the tank race. New Orleans has no incentive to contend after trading its first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks.
Nets and Wizards are tied for the seventh hardest in the NBA remaining strength of schedule, while the Pacers hold the fifth-heaviest, per Tankaton.
2025-11-19 01:05:00
