The Nets fought, showed some life and even made a run that briefly woke up the crowd, but the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed looked the part in the end. Brooklyn fell to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs 126-110 at Barclays Center, slipping to 15-43 and extending its losing streak to six games.
Fans arrived hoping for a Wembanyama showcase. What they got instead was a Spurs team that spread the load. All five starters finished in double figures, led by Julian Champagnie, who finished with 26 points and six 3-pointers, and San Antonio turned defensive stops into easy offense, outscoring Brooklyn 24-10 in transition.
Wembanyama finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes.
Three turnovers in the opening four minutes fueled San Antonio’s desire to run, and even when the Nets found pockets of resistance defensively, the offense struggled to keep up. Nolan Traoré provided an early spark, gliding into the paint for a soft floater over Wembanyama before knocking down a 3-pointer, but Brooklyn needed more from everyone else.
Michael Porter Jr.’s night began the opposite way. He missed his first five shots and finished just 1-for-7 in eight first-quarter minutes as the Spurs built a cushion. Driving lanes tightened quickly with Wembanyama roaming the paint. Day’Ron Sharpe found success when the All-Star center rested, going 3-for-3 inside, but Brooklyn still shot 38.1% and trailed 36-22 after one.
Egor Dëmin was pulled three minutes in after a defensive lapse, replaced by fellow rookie Drake Powell, while Danny Wolf handled ball duties during a brief first-quarter stint. Dëmin returned to open the second and played better, but the damage had already started to pile up.
San Antonio stretched the lead to 22 early in the second before Brooklyn pieced together a stretch of stops and trimmed the margin to 12, but the momentum didn’t hold. Turnovers resurfaced late in the half, and the Spurs converted those extra chances into further separation, heading into the break with a 71-56 advantage.
The Nets shot 56.5% in the second quarter, paced by Traoré and Noah Clowney, and owned a 17-6 edge in second-chance points along with a 34-24 advantage in the paint through two quarters. But perimeter breakdowns proved costly. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie combined for eight of San Antonio’s nine first-half 3-pointers, and Brooklyn’s eight turnovers turned into 14 Spurs points.
Traoré’s 11 first-half points on 4-for-7 shooting led the Nets, while Porter, despite the inefficient scoring, hauled in 11 rebounds before halftime, tying the most he’s collected in a half in his career. Dëmin, after his early benching, responded with six assists in 16 minutes.
For a brief stretch in the third, it felt like Brooklyn might have something to say about the outcome.
Porter came out of the locker room aggressive, finishing three straight layups before knocking down a 3-pointer that pushed his total to 19 points and pulled the Nets within six with 8:34 remaining in the period. Still, San Antonio never lost control.
Every push from Brooklyn was met with a response. A timely jumper. A transition bucket. A defensive stop that stalled momentum just as it began to build. Even as Porter piled up 17 points in the quarter and the Nets repeatedly trimmed the margin to single digits, the Spurs held their ground, eventually winning the period 33-28 and carrying a 104-84 lead into the fourth.
From there, the night drifted toward its expected conclusion. With 5:08 left in a 19-point game, Nets newcomer Josh Minott made his debut after being recalled from G League affiliate Long Island earlier in the afternoon.
Michael Porter Jr. finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds to lead Brooklyn, but the Spurs’ balance and ability to capitalize on mistakes proved decisive. Wolf and Sharpe each scored 14 points off the bench, with Sharpe adding 11 rebounds in 19 minutes.
One more defeat would match the Nets’ season-worst skid that opened the year. A quick turnaround awaits, with them headed to TD Garden on Friday for the second half of a back-to-back against the Boston Celtics.
