Three Takeaways From the Nets' Blowout Loss to the Clippers

The Brooklyn Nets (11-24) continued their home stand on Friday night with a matchup against the Western Conference Los Angeles Clippers (14-23)

Brooklyn entered Friday's game looking to wash a bad taste out of their mouths following their buzzer-beater defeat to the Magic on Wednesday. Instead, that bad taste multiplied after a poor performance from the Nets led to a 121-105 loss to the Clippers in front of a dejected Barclays Center.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Nets home loss to the Clippers.

1. Nets Respond Poorly

Jan 9, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) drives to the basket against Brooklyn Nets guards Egor Demin (8) and Terance Mann (14) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Coming off that heartbreaking buzzer-beater from Paolo Banchero that stole a win from Brooklyn on Wednesday, the Nets had a chance to come out and establish the tone early on Friday. They could show the world that they're a resilient bunch who can bounce back quickly when something doesn't go their way. Brooklyn did the opposite of that against the Clippers.

The Nets fell behind 16-2 early in the first quarter and never got closer, ultimately trailing by 16 at halftime. Brooklyn shot 36% from the field in the opening 24 minutes, and they had no answers on defense for James Harden, who had 22 points in the half. Instead of using that loss to Orlando as fuel, the Nets folded early. This was a poor response from Jordi Fernandez's team.

2. Three-Point Shooting Woes

On a night when the Nets grabbed a ton of offensive rebounds and thoroughly outshot the Clippers, their poor three-point shooting proved extremely costly in the loss. Brooklyn shot a putrid 15-47 from behind the arc, including a very uncharacteristic 0-9 from Michael Porter Jr. With even just average three-point shooting, the Nets could've won this game, but that didn't happen.

The Nets entered Friday's game in the bottom third of the league in three-point shooting percentage at 34.5%, a number that will dip after the loss to Los Angeles. Fernandez needs to find more consistent shooting from everyone not named Michael Porter Jr. on this roster going forward. Streaky shooting is usually a one-way ticket to inconsistency, which perfectly describes Brooklyn.

3. Nets Had No Answers For Clippers' Stars

Jan 9, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) brings the ball up court against Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas (24) and forward Noah Clowney (21) during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It's been a tough season for Los Angeles' smaller and less popular NBA team, but there's still a ton of talent on that roster, a fact that Brooklyn found out the hard way on Friday. The two cornerstone superstars, in particular, showed up big time for the Clippers. James Harden and Kawhi Leonard were free to do whatever they wanted to against the Nets, who had zero answers for them.

Harden finished with 31 points on 10-13 shooting. He had 22 points in the first half, leading the way for Los Angeles early. Leonard took over in the second half, finishing his night with 26 points on 9-15 shooting. Those two, along with rookie Jordan Miller, tortured the Nets all night en route to a relatively easy victory for the visitors. Brooklyn had done a decent job defending star players over the past month, but that streak came crashing down