Brooklyn Nets Make History in Win Over Milwaukee Bucks

The Nets tied a franchise record in their 127-82 home victory against the Bucks.

Dec 14, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Danny Wolf (2) passes the ball as Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) defends during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

Everything was going right for the Brooklyn Nets in their 127-82 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday evening. With head coach Jordi Fernandez out due to an illness, assistant coach Steve Hetzel was the sideline leader, directing the Nets to the win.

Brooklyn's offense was hot from the get-go, notching 37 first-quarter points and building a 65-48 halftime lead. It certainly helped that Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf) was out, as things were a lot easier in the paint. The Nets out-rebounded the Bucks 43-37 and out-scored them in the paint, 50-44.

This was about as perfect a win as you could have asked for from Brooklyn, for a variety of reasons. For one, the scoring distribution was overwhelming, but lottery pick Egor Demin led the way with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Rookies Demin, Drake Powell, Nolan Traore and Danny Wolf combined for 38 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Nets also made history in the win, tying a record that has stood since the 1992-93 season, when they were playing in New Jersey.

On Jan. 9, 1993, the Nets routed the then-Washington Bullets, 124-79, securing a 45-point victory and the largest in franchise history. Nearly 33 years later, Sunday's win tied that margin.

It's ironic that Brooklyn's rebuilding squad came away with the historic victory and not one from the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era. This season's team is supposed to be setting itself up for a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the Nets have won four of their last six games.

loving everything about this sequence 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WAOLc9KmLY

— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 15, 2025

Right now, Brooklyn is 13th in the Eastern Conference and sixth in lottery odds, the same spot the team finished last season. While competitiveness is important and promising from a rebuilding team, every game matters when trying to secure a high selection in the new era of draft odds.

The top-three teams have the best shot at the No. 1 pick, each at 14% with a 52.1% at the top four. Given that 2026's class features more than one generational talent at the top, it is imperative that the Nets land their next franchise scorer to lead the young core out of this process.

Brooklyn will have a bit of a break before returning to the Barclays Center on Dec. 18 for a date with the Miami Heat. The Nets will be looking to start another winning streak amid the hot two-way basketball from Sunday's win over the Bucks.