Nets outclassed by injury-marred Mavericks to keep pace in lottery standings

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For the second time in a week, the Nets actually had a clean injury report and their whole team.

Against the injury-riddled Mavericks.

And it didn’t matter.

The Nets lost 123-114 before a crowd of 16,510 at Barclays Center, and were largely outclassed from start to finish.

Brooklyn coughed up 58.5 percent shooting, let Marvin Bagley III score 22 points off the bench and got thumped by a team missing Cooper Flagg and ex-Net Kyrie Irving.

Marvin Bagley, who scored a team-high 22 points off the bench, goes up for a layup during the Nets’ 123-114 loss to the Mavericks on Feb. 24, 2026 at Barclays Center. NBAE via Getty Images

The Nets (15-42) kept pace in third place in the lottery standings.

They stayed a game behind second-place Indiana, and moved a half-game ahead of New Orleans (16-42), whose pick is owed to Atlanta.

They’re a game ahead of fifth-place Washington, which lost on Tuesday.

Day’Ron Sharpe, who scored seven points off the bench, slams home a dunk during the Nets’ loss to the Maverick on Feb. 24, 2026 at Barclays Center. Robert Sabo for New York Post

Michael Porter Jr. had a game-high 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting, showing signs of breaking out of his extended slump.

He’d come in averaging 17.8 points on 37.9 percent shooting, and had been just 8-for-49 — or 16.3 percent — from deep in his last half-dozen games. But he didn’t grab a single rebound.



Noah Clowney added 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting from deep. It was his eighth 20-point game, after having just four coming into the season. But Brooklyn’s sievelike defense ensured that it went to waste.

Brooklyn trailed by as much as 15, after Bagley drilled a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 59-44 lead with 5:44 left in the first half.

The Nets still trailed 104-96 with nine minutes to play before Terance Mann (17 points off the bench) sandwiched 3-pointers around Clowney’s block of Bagley.

His second longball pulled Brooklyn within a deuce with 7:42 remaining.

Brooklyn Nets Ochai Agbaji puts up a shot as Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks blocks during the second half on February 24, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post

But when Klay Thompson splashed a 30-footer, it killed the Nets’ momentum.

And Brandon Williams’ tough 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Nic Claxton proved a dagger, making it 113-106. The Nets never recovered.


Dallas’ PJ Washington limped off the court with 1:11 to play.

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