It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t great, but it was enough to snap the NBA’s long-lost skid.
Simply put.
The Nets threw away a 20-point fourth quarter cushion and needed Michael Porter Jr.’s final points. to pull off a 112-109 upset against Chicago in front of a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center.
Michael Porter looks to block Jalen Smith in the second quarter of the Nets’ 112-109 win over the Bulls on Jan. 16, 2025 at the Barclays Center. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Porter had a game-high 26 points, including the go-ahead layup with 5.4 seconds left.
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Then the Nets needed a late steal by Drake Powell to turn Porter’s bucket into a game-winner, turning what should have been a laugh into a nail-biter.
“The lesson is that there is no safe lead in the NBA. Teams will always bounce back,” said coach Jordi Fernandez. “Give them credit. But in the end, responding is important because when things go against you and the other team is leading, it can seem like a big mountain in front of you. And the guys were steady, they scored at the right time. Mike had a big bucket and stopped.”
The Nets (12-27) have dropped five points in a row and eight of nine.
They were eliminated in three games against teams that had a combined record of 39-70.
But after building a 92-72 cushion in the fourth quarter after rookie Nolan Traore (high seven assists) found Cam Thomas with a 3-pointer, and a 108-102 edge in the remaining minute, they allowed seven unanswered points and coughed ahead.
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A poor pass by Porter led to a Jalen Smith-pointer, and a poor pass by Traore gave Isaac Okoro a breakaway dunk.
When Powell was blocked by Nikola Vucevic (19 points, six assists, six rebounds), it led to a Tre Jones layup with 11.4 seconds left, and the Nets’ lead was gone.
Noah Clowney drives past Matas Buzelis in the first quarter of the Nets’ win over the Bulls. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
That was until Porter took it back. It was only the second time he hit the go-ahead bucket with less than 10 seconds left, after a 14-foot jumper in Denver with six seconds to play in a 122-120 win over Dallas on Nov. 10, 2024.
“I just need him to catch the ball. After that, he knows what he’s doing,” Fernández said. “He caught it by the elbow. It was easy enough for him to use his size and finish. So proud of himself for the way he executed. He was responsible. He played like the player he is. We couldn’t have won this game without Michael.”
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Porter added: “It was a game to give me that team on the floor and give me the ball and try to play. I felt like I let the team down a little bit in the last game, and, honestly, tonight with the late results. So I was very determined to try to look good. This is how a losing team becomes a winning team.”
With a gun like Porter’s. And it plays like Powell’s.
With starting guard Josh Giddey injured, the Bulls would come in but call a timeout.
The Nets’ defense forced another timeout on an inbounds attempt while the Bulls converted the play.
Powell stole a bad pass from Jones, and after a bad Chicago possession, Noah Clowney (23 points, 11 rebounds) closed it at the free throw line.
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“I’m very happy that we finished. It was good, but it shouldn’t have been that close, especially since we went into the half, even the third quarter,” said Clowney.
“When the shots stopped falling, we stopped getting what we wanted. We stopped going back, and they capitalized all the time. Come back, play defense, whether the shots are falling or not.”
As the Nets struggled on the glass, Nic Claxton had seven points, 14 rebounds and five assists while Day’Ron Sharpe added 14 points and six boards.
The Nets are now 1 ½ games behind fourth-place Sacramento in the lottery. They travel to Chicago on Sunday.
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“We had to stick with it,” Claxton said. “Actually, we shouldn’t have gone that long. We should have been better, but in the end we got the win, that’s what matters.”
