Three Takeaways From The Nets' Late Collapse To The Grizzlies

Coming off a frustrating home loss to the Clippers on Friday, the Brooklyn Nets (11-25) hit the road for a Sunday matinee matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies (17-22).

The Nets were extremely shorthanded in Memphis, down Michael Porter Jr. (rest), Ziaire Williams (illness), and Drake Powell (knee). The Grizzlies were without Ja Morant (calf) and Zach Edey (ankle), so this game could've gone either way. After trailing for the entire first half, a second-half Brooklyn rally looked like it might end in victory. However, the Grizzlies ended the game on a 13-0 run to come away with a 103-98 win.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the Nets road loss to the Grizzlies.

1. Welcome Back Tyrese Martin

perfect first half for @resemartin4

🎯 11 PTS
🎯 4-4 FG
🎯 3-3 3PT pic.twitter.com/b1zPjk2Pre
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 11, 2026

Tyrese Martin hadn't seen action in a game since January 2, a healthy scratch with the emergence of the young rookies on the roster. But with Porter Jr., Williams, and Powell out on Sunday, Jordi Fernandez called upon his veteran guard to give him strong minutes off the bench. And Martin did just that.

He had a team-leading 11 points in the first half on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field, including 3-3 from behind the arc. He finished the afternoon with 17 points on 6-8 shooting in 21 minutes. While Martin's status in the lineup going forward is still shaky, he showed he can be relied upon in a pinch to play some quality minutes for this team.

2. Nets Control Third Quarter

.@terance_mann dishes a no-look dime for another @Daniel_Wolf6 triple 🎯 pic.twitter.com/DnS8HkOd8g
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 11, 2026

Brooklyn came out of the halftime locker room with an 11-point deficit, but it didn't take long for them to cut into that Memphis lead. The Nets opened the quarter with a 17-6 run to even the game up, setting the stage for a back-and-forth finish to the afternoon. Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton, and Danny Wolf keyed the run, combining for all 17 points to open the third.

Third quarters are super important, and this game could've gone one of two ways out of the locker room. The Grizzlies could've run away with things and ended the Nets' afternoon quickly. Instead, it was the Nets who came out with all the energy and got themselves back into the game. This was an important and impressive 12 minutes of basketball from the Nets.

3. Brooklyn Shows Guts

peep the no dip three tho 🎯 @thejalenwilson pic.twitter.com/ddeRyCeplA
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 11, 2026

Trailing by double digits for a majority of the first half of the first game of a road trip, and without several key contributors, Sunday's game looked like it could be a scheduled loss for Brooklyn. Instead of giving up and moving on to Dallas, the Nets decided to bunker down and give Memphis everything they could handle.

While it ultimately didn't lead to a win, as a late collapse handed the game to the Grizzlies, Fernandez will like the fight his team showed. For a young team, playing in close games and finding ways to come back are very important for development, and the Nets' young roster had a chance to do just that. This is a great learning experience for this roster.