ORLANDO — The Nets turned their biggest lead of the season into their most galling loss of the year. 

Brooklyn squandered a huge cushion in the second quarter, and a late edge in the fourth, only to fall 105-98 to the Magic before 17,902 at Kia Center. 

The Nets led by 16 points — their biggest cushion of this tanking campaign — and by four late before coughing up the final 11 points of the contest. 

Michael Porter Jr. had 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and no turnovers, but shot 1 of 6 in the fourth quarter. 

Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. (17) looks to pass in front of Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) during the first quarter at Kia Center. Mike Watters-Imagn Images

“I thought my teammates played great. I told them, this one’s on me. I feel like I didn’t make plays down the stretch,” said Porter. “This one’s on me. I got to play better, make plays on a stretch to help us. Obviously, we win as a team, lose as the team. But yeah, I feel like this one was on me being up four with like 1:30, two minutes left, I gotta try to be better. So I just told everybody my fault.” 

There was blame to go around. 

The Nets got hammered 46-34 on the glass, and dominated 25-5 on second-chance points. 

Nic Claxton managed just five rebounds — and failed to get a huge one off a free throw, Wendell Carter snaking in and getting the offensive board that led to Franz Wagner’s 3-point dagger in the waning moments. 

Wagner had a game-high 25 for the Magic, who closed on an 11-0 run. 

“Yeah, that was on me,” said Claxton. “Wendell, he got around me on the box out. So, I got to be better with that. Just got to be better on defensive rebounding, for sure. We’ve been struggling. I’ve been struggling. It’s definitely a point of emphasis. And that possession really hurt us.” 

The NBA Cup defeat saw Brooklyn fall to a league-worst 1-11, keeping it tied with Indiana and Washington for the best odds in the lottery. The Wizards have lost 10 straight and seem to be gunning for the top lottery seed with a single-minded determination.

The Nets play in Washington on Sunday. 

Tyrese Martin of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the game against the Orlando Magic during the 2025-26 Emirates Cup on November 14, 2025 at Kia Center in Orlando, Florida. NBAE via Getty Images

The Nets took the 16-point lead — their biggest of the season — when Claxton made a 10-footer to put them up 53-37 with 6:41 left in the half. 

But that’s when they immediately coughed up 13 unanswered points to spark an extended 25-5 run that spanned intermission and surrendered the momentum. 

After the 13-0 blitz, they were still clinging to a 53-50 edge when Jalen Suggs found Wagner for a layup with just over two minutes left in the first half. They lost that altogether in the second. 

Brooklyn fell behind 62-58 on Suggs’ free throws with 9:47 left in the third. 

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The Nets’ offense had gone from free-flowing to 3-point happy and erratic. They shot just 2 of 15, heaving up 10 attempts from deep and missing all of them. 

Jordi Fernández pulled Egor Dëmin at that point for Tyrese Martin. The veteran steadied the ship, with the Nets outscoring Orlando 24-17 the rest of the period to claw back in front. 

And Martin even cleared out in the final seconds of the period, drove hard to the rim for a layup with :02 left to send the Nets into the fourth up 82-79. 

The rest of it was tooth-and-nail. 

Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) shoots as he is defended by Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney, right, during the second half of an NBA Cup basketball game on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. AP

Claxton put Brooklyn ahead 94-92 with 3:28 to play, and his 3-footer made it 98-94 with 2:37 remaining. 

But he put up an ill-advised heave that turned into a fast break the other way, and Wagner banked in a 3-pointer to put Orlando back in front 100-98. 

After Terance Mann missed a midrange attempt, Wagner cleared out and rattled home another 3-pointer over Claxton’s outstretched arms for a 103-98 edge. 

The clock read :43.9, but the contest was over. 

“Got to make plays down the stretch. I missed some easy ones that I got to make, and I gotta help calm us down and get us into a good set to get us some easier looks,” said Porter. “And obviously you’ve got to give credit to those guys hitting some tough 3s down the stretch, but definitely a winnable game.”