Breaking Down Nets Unreal Finish in Their Loss to the Magic

Brooklyn Nets guard Egor Demin may only be ninth on NBA.com's most recent rookie ladder, but he assuredly just had the clutchest performance of the class Wednesday night.

Before the No. 8 overall pick took over in the late fourth quarter and overtime, the Nets had to dig themselves out of a hole from the first three quarters. Despite the final score being 104-103 Magic, Brooklyn trailed 79-64 to start the fourth quarter.

The comeback started with another pair of rookies as Danny Wolf and Nolan Traoré assisted each other to cut the deficit to 10 with 9:11 left in regulation.

Orlando pushed its lead back to 14 points with 5:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, but then Michael Porter Jr. and Demin began to take over. Porter Jr. drilled back-to-back triples across 24 seconds to make the score 87-79.

After the veteran got the Nets back into manageable territory, it was Demin's time to shine. He scored his first point of the game with 3:22 left in regulation as he went 2-for-3 from the free throw line. Demin finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and two stocks on 5-for-8 three-point shooting.

Scored all of BKN's 10 points in OT.
Scored 13 straight points between 4Q and OT.
Scored 18 points for the game.

Egor Dëmin was UNBELIEVABLE for Brooklyn tonight! pic.twitter.com/g2ao9RP23Q
— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2026

He sank his first three of the night to make the score 91-88 before Noah Clowney nailed a fadeaway mid-range jumper on the next possession to make it a one-score game with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Tristan Da Silva extended the Magic's lead back to three as Brooklyn's final possession of regulation loomed over. Porter Jr. took a heavily contested three that Day'Ron Sharpe swiftly rebounded, and he found Demin wide open for the game-tying three that sent the game to overtime. Sharpe's role in the game must be highlighted, as despite only five points, he had four offensive rebounds.

It was all Demin in the overtime period, scoring all of the Nets' points in the five minutes. Despite scoring 34 points on the night, Porter Jr. missed all three of his shot attempts in overtime.

Three of Demin's five three-point makes came in overtime, including the triple that put Brooklyn up 103-101 with five seconds left in the period. The rookie's clutch play was spoiled as Paolo Banchero drilled the game-winning buzzer beater three off the glass.

The main issue in the game was that the Nets didn't get enough out of anyone outside of Porter Jr. and Demin. The next closest scorers were Noah Clowney and Cam Thomas, who both had inefficient 10-point outings. As exciting as the game was in Barclays Center, the result left a sour taste in the mouths of fans and players alike.