Three Takeaways From the Nets' Tight Loss to the Mavericks

Coming off a head-scratching collapse to the Hawks on Sunday, the Brooklyn Nets (15-42) returned to the court on Tuesday night for a matchup with the Dallas Mavericks (21-36).

The Nets had a fully healthy roster, looking to get their first win post-All-Star break against a Dallas squad without first overall pick Cooper Flagg (foot). Instead, some really poor defense led Brooklyn to another loss at home, falling 123-114.

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

1. Defense Struggles Again

It's been a theme for most of the 2025-26 season, and the Nets por defense struck again on Tuesday night. They gave up 76 first-half points to a Mavericks team without their best player. Dallas shot 64% from the field in the first half, getting to the rim at will and making Brooklyn look foolish. They finished the night scoring 123 points, shooting 59% from the field.

Brooklyn's defense has had small stretches this season where it's been decent, but the overall product has left a lot to be desired. While it makes sense with a young, inexperienced team, it doesn't take away the sting of consistently struggling on that end of the court. Defense should be the number one priority for this organization in the offseason.

2. MPJ's Efficient Night

Michael Porter Jr. had struggled with efficiency heading into Tuesday's game. He had shot over 50% from the field in just one of his previous 12 games. He got back to his efficient ways against the Mavericks. Porter poured in 26 points on 9-16 shooting.

It was good to see Porter back scoring buckets at will and doing it in an efficient way. The Nets' offense is so much more fluid when Porter is at his best, and that was very evident in the game against Dallas. The key going forward will be to continue getting strong secondary scoring to support Porter.

3. Terance Mann's Offensive Explosion

In one of the more surprising individual performances of the season for Brooklyn, Terance Mann came alive off the bench against Dallas. He exploded for 17 points in 19 minutes, going 6-9 from the field. Ten of those points came in the fourth quarter, and the Nets closed the gap and made a run.

Mann has seen his role diminish throughout the season, going from a starter in October to racking up DNP's in January. But on Tuesday, the veteran guard showed he's still got some juice left to make a big impact on this team. The Nets' bench has been very inconsistent this season, and maybe Mann can be the answer to that as the calendar flips to March.