Three Takeaways From the Nets' Thrilling Win Over the 76ers

The Brooklyn Nets (8-19) hit the road for one final game before Christmas, a road tilt with the division rival Philadelphia 76ers (16-11).

The Nets entered the City of Brotherly Love riding the high of a dominant defense showing in their win over the Raptors on Sunday, and were looking to head into the holidays with one final gift to the fanbase. On the backs of another excellent defensive performance and a balanced offensive attack, the Nets did just that, picking up a 114-106 win.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Nets win over the 76ers.

1. Day'Ron Sharpe's Underrated Contribution

WE ENJOYED THIS SEQUENCE pic.twitter.com/8inguMIMnf
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 24, 2025

Day'Ron Sharpe's numbers won't jump off the box score, but he gave the Nets some good minutes in the first half when Nic Claxton was dealing with foul trouble. In 11 first-half minutes, Sharpe had six points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He was a +7 off the bench in the opening 24 minutes, where the Nets took a six-point lead into the half.

Sharpe finished the night with nine points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. He was also a team-best +16 in 21 minutes. The 24-year-old center from North Carolina is averaging seven points and 5.4 rebounds per game in just over 16 minutes a night off the bench. With the emergence of Danny Wolf, Sharpe has taken more of a back seat recently, but Tuesday night showed he still has a lot of value for this team.

2. Nets Wanted It More

Noah doin' it at both ends, you love to see it pic.twitter.com/1dcdREbuZi
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 24, 2025

The last game before a break tells a lot about a team. Some teams just mail it in, ready for the time away. And other teams want to take some momentum with them to the break. The Nets played like the latter on Tuesday night. From the opening tip, the Nets were the more physical team. They were the first to the floor, seemingly winning every single fifty-fifty ball. And the defense was outstanding once again.

Combine all of that with 25 masterful points in the first half from Michael Porter Jr. and some clutch late threes from Egor Demin, and you have the recipe for success. The 76ers played like a team that wanted to go home and get their break started. Brooklyn played like a team that wanted to keep playing a consistent brand of winning basketball. This was a wonderful performance from the Nets.

3. Brooklyn Makes Life Difficult for Tyrese Maxey

Tyrese Maxey is one of the best guards in the NBA. Brooklyn forced him into one of his worst games of the season on Tuesday. Maxey had been averaging 31.7 points and 7.1 assists per game on 46.7% shooting from the field heading into tonight's game. The Nets held him to 13 points and two assists on 3-14 shooting from the field.

Just days after holding All-Star forward Scottie Barnes to six points on 3-10 shooting, the Nets defense completely held Maxey in check. Philadelphia's offense runs through the young guard, and when he was taken out of the game for a majority of the night by Brooklyn's defense, the 76ers crumbled. This Nets defense is legit right now.