Michael Porter Jr. returned from illness and led the Brooklyn Nets to a 127-115 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The win, witnessed by a sellout crowd of 17,548, snapped Brooklyn’s three-game losing streak and moved the Nets to 11-22.
Porter finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in his first game against Denver since being traded last offseason.
“I was excited for that first matchup against them, really since I’ve been traded and just how that whole thing went down,” Porter said. “I probably felt more nervous for this one than a lot of other games.”
- Michael Porter Jr. led Brooklyn with 27 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in his first game against Denver since being traded, helping the Nets snap a three-game losing streak.
- Brooklyn dominated the glass and shot efficiently in a decisive third-quarter run, turning a close game into a comfortable win.
- Porter’s expanded role and confidence with the Nets continue to show, as Brooklyn remains winless without him but strong when he plays.
Porter’s Post-Trade Role Expansion Drives Brooklyn’s Offense
Porter spent six seasons with the Nuggets after being selected No. 14 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and was a starter on Denver’s 2023 NBA championship team. He was traded to Brooklyn in the offseason for Cam Johnson and Denver’s 2032 first-round pick after Denver moved him in a salary-related deal.
In Denver, Porter often played behind the Nikola Jokic–Jamal Murray offense. With the Nets, his role has expanded significantly. He entered the game averaging a career-high 25.8 points, making him the only player in the Eastern Conference averaging at least 25 points and seven rebounds.
“I feel the difference when a coach really believes in me, and when they second guess the shots you take,” Porter said. “Jordi and this whole Nets organization’s done a great job of that with me.”
Nuggets coach David Adelman, who previously worked alongside Nets coach Jordi Fernández, acknowledged Porter’s talent and his adjusted role.
“He’s got a lot of freedom here,” Adelman said. “This trade was good for everybody. He won a championship with us. We know how talented he is.”
The increased responsibility also showed up in betting markets. Entering the matchup, sportsbooks listed Porter’s points prop at 26.5. He finished with 27. Brooklyn also entered the night as a slight underdog at several books, with spreads around Nets +2 and a total near 224.5. The Nets covered comfortably, aided by Denver playing without Nikola Jokic, who was sidelined for perhaps a month with a hyperextended left knee.
Nets’ Rebounding Advantage and Third-Quarter Run Break Game Open
Brooklyn controlled the glass throughout the night, outrebounding Denver 44-33. That advantage supported a balanced offense, as the Nets had a season-high six players score at least 13 points.
The Nuggets remained close early. Jamal Murray hit a jumper with 0.2 seconds left in the second quarter to cut the Nets’ lead to 59-52 at halftime. Murray finished with 27 points, a career-high 16 assists, and six rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 26 points, Aaron Gordon scored 20 off the bench in his return from a 19-game absence due to a strained right hamstring, and Christian Braun started and scored four points after missing 23 games with a sprained left ankle.
Early in the third quarter, Murray fed Peyton Watson to make it 63-56. Brooklyn responded with a decisive 21-10 run over the next five minutes. The Nets hit eight of nine shots during the stretch, including all four three-point attempts. Egor Dëmin contributed five points and two assists, capped by a three-pointer off a Porter pass that pushed the lead to 84-66 with 5:10 remaining in the third.
Brooklyn scored 41 points in the quarter, shooting 7-for-9 from three-point range, and carried a 100-84 lead into the fourth.
Nets’ Depth Secures Win as Futures Odds Stay Long
Denver briefly cut the margin early in the fourth quarter when Hardaway opened the period with two three-pointers. Brooklyn answered with a 12-0 run, with Cam Thomas scoring the final seven points to extend the lead to 112-90.
Noah Clowney finished with 22 points for the Nets. Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe each scored 17, with Sharpe starting at center in place of Nic Claxton, who was out for personal reasons. Sharpe also recorded six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
“Coming in, I told everybody we’re locked in,” Sharpe said. “We just wanted to rally as a team to help get the Dub for [Porter].”
Despite the win, Brooklyn remains a long shot in futures markets. Championship odds across sportsbooks range widely, from around +25000 at some outlets to +100000 or longer at others, while the Nets’ odds to make the playoffs sit near +3500. The numbers reflect Brooklyn’s record and Porter’s availability, as the Nets are winless without him this season but have won eight of their past 11 games when he plays.
For Denver, the loss dropped the Nuggets to 1-4 on their seven-game Eastern road trip and to 1-2 since Jokic’s injury. Cam Johnson, acquired in the trade for Porter, missed the game with a knee injury.
Before tipoff, Murray acknowledged the unusual nature of the matchup, telling Porter, “It’s so weird actually going against you instead of being with you.”
“Those are my brothers,” Porter said. “We won the championship together. To compete against each other instead of with each other is definitely a different experience.”
