Nets Can't Complete Third-Quarter Push as Spurs win 11-Straight

The Brooklyn Nets fell to the San Antonio Spurs 126-110 on Thursday, dropping their sixth straight game, much to the tankers' delight.

Michael Porter Jr. dropped a team-high 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting. Though his struggles from behind the arc have continued, all three of his 3-point makes came at a pivotal time during the game.

His first make helped cut the Nets' deficit to 75-69 at the 8:34 mark of the third quarter, and his next two games helped give Brooklyn life after the Nets went down by as many as 22 points in the first half.

However, De'Aaron Fox and Keldon Johnson both put a ton of pressure on the rim and got hot from downtown, giving the Spurs a comfortable 104-84 lead at the end of the third quarter.

To counter Victor Wembanyama's towering size down low, Nets coach Jordi Fernández seemed to intentionally force the Nets to touch the paint and create opportunities inside to put pressure on the rim.

Wembanyama's presence down low is enough to scare defenders from even trying to make something happen in the restricted area, but Nolan Traoré's floater and Day'Ron Sharpe's offensive rebounding helped mitigate at least some of Wembanyama's towering size.

The Nets scored 54 points in the paint against one of the best interior defenses in the league and came away with 25 second-chance points. The Nets showing improvement in both areas is essential for their longterm growth.

Career-high nine dimes for Egor tonight 🤝 pic.twitter.com/fVYN99zQfd
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 27, 2026

“I thought we fought in that third quarter, cut it under ten, made it a game,” Fernández said. “We did a lot of things better, you know, fighting for long, longer rebounds, took the challenge, but then couldn’t close it. So, you have to play very well against a team like this, one of the best teams in the NBA.”

Wembanyama finished with a modest 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting, but the Spurs don't win 11 games in a row without having a strong supporting cast to step up whenever necessary.

Though Egor Dëmin only scored six points on 2-of-3 shooting, he managed to dish out a career-high nine assists, which is an encouraging sign for how well he can utilize his playmaking skills in an off-ball role.

Before Wemby accelerated their timeline, the Spurs were laying the groundwork through strong player development, a model the Nets will certainly try to model as they work their way back to contention.