Following a somewhat surprising victory over the Bulls on Wednesday, the Nets will welcome the Jazz to Brooklyn for the second leg of a back-to-back-set. Unfortunately, Michael Porter Jr. will be unavailable for this contest, as he’s been ruled out for injury management.
To suggest that Porter’s absence leaves the Nets shorthanded would be a massive understatement.
In the team’s win against Chicago, Porter logged 33.6 minutes, leading Brooklyn in points (33), field goal attempts (20), rebounds (10) and usage rate (36.0%). Especially with Cam Thomas being limited to only eight games so far in 2025-26, Porter’s been the Nets’ primary offensive option, averaging a career-high 25.3 points and attempting 8.9 three-pointers per contest.
Porter’s only missed two other games this season, both of which occurred in late November. Brooklyn produced a paltry 101.0 points per contest in those two matchups, as the roster lacks anything resembling an offensive hub without Porter and Thomas available. Still, Egor Demin was impressive in the Nets’ 115-103 loss to Philadelphia back on November 28. The eighth-overall pick in this past summer’s draft, Demin posted his current career-highs of 23 points and nine rebounds in the defeat sans Porter. The rookie will likely have a large role again this evening, along with Nic Claxton.
Brooklyn is a 5.5-point home underdog on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
