Feb. 20, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET

The Brooklyn Nets (15-39) went into the All-Star break having won two of its last three games, hoping giving the team hope that they can get back on the right track. Brooklyn came out of the break with a tough game at James Harden and the Cleveland Cavaliers (35-21) on Thursday and the Nets were definitely hoping for a different outcome after some rest.

The Nets lost at the Cavaliers 112-84 as Brooklyn had little they could do with the Harden-led Cleveland squad as they trailed by as many as 43 points in the contest. Forward Michael Porter Jr. had 14 points and five rebounds to lead the team, but it was struggle for him, at least compared to his stats for the season. Forward Ochai Agbaji, acquired from the Toronto Raptors via trade prior to the deadline, dropped 13 points and three rebounds off the bench.

The Nets had a poor start to this contest as they lost the first quarter 34-16 with former Brooklyn center putting up 10 points in the quarter before the Nets tightened things up. In the second quarter, Brooklyn lost the period just 36-32 as the Nets shot 48.1% from the field, but defense remained as the biggest issue as they allowed Cleveland to shoot 64.3% in the quarter.

In the third quarter, the Cavaliers blew the game wide-open as they led by as many as 43 points in the period thanks to former Nets guard Dennis Schroder and his nine points. In the second half, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez appeared to throw in the towel only on as Porter, forward Noah Clowney, and center Day’Ron Sharpe sat for the majority of the final 24 minutes.

In the time that some of the starters were sitting on the bench, players like Agbaji and rookie forward Danny Wolf (11 points, six rebounds, and seven assists) were able to thrive with the extra playing time. Ultimately, Brooklyn opened the unofficial second half of the season with another blowout loss and they will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday on the second half of a back-to-back.

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!Nets Struggle To Run Effective Offense For Michael Porter Jr.

While Porter has had his fair share of struggles shooting the ball from three-point range, this loss at the Cavaliers proved that the Nets still haven’t figured out how to run its offense when Porter is taken away. Porter has been doing a better job of driving to the rim when opposing teams run him off the three-point line, but when he is completely taken away, Brooklyn has to build in counters to take advantage of the attention he draws.

Ochai Agbaji Breaks Out

Agbaji has slowly been incorporated into the rotation since the Nets acquired him via trade prior to the deadline, but that process might have to be accelerated after this performance. Agbaji was solid on both ends of the floor, but his production on the offensive end of the court could show that he could bring some juice off the bench that Brooklyn is missing without Cam Thomas on the roster.

Nets Still Have Major Issues To Fix

It’s no secret that the Nets are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of win-loss record because of various factors, but it seems that this team has a hard time dealing with getting punched in the mouth to start games. While Brooklyn was able to make some runs in the second quarter, they still trailed by as many as 18 points by the end of the first period and at some point, the Nets have to play with more urgency if they’re going to be competitive on a nightly basis.