The Brooklyn Nets have recently embraced the “next man up” mentality, securing impressive road wins against two of the Western Conference’s top teams.
Despite dealing with a lengthy injury list, the Nets aim to extend their winning streak to four games as they return home to face the Orlando Magic in an NBA Cup game on Friday night. The Magic are managing without their star player, Paolo Banchero.
The Nets will be without Cam Thomas for at least three weeks due to a strained left hamstring and Noah Clowney for at least two weeks with a sprained left ankle. Additionally, they are navigating a lower back injury for Nic Claxton, who missed Wednesday’s notable 127-117 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Without Thomas’ 24.7 points per game, Tyrese Martin stepped up in his 22nd NBA game, scoring a career-high 30 points—just three points shy of his total from the previous 21 games combined. Martin made eight of Brooklyn’s 18 three-pointers as the Nets shot 45.2 percent (57-of-126) from beyond the arc in their wins over the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Suns during their four-game road trip.
Brooklyn is on its first three-game winning streak in nearly a year and is seeking its first four-game winning stretch since the Nets won 12 straight during the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era from December 7, 2022, to January 2, 2023.
The past two seasons have started strong for the Nets but have devolved into challenging campaigns, resulting in major trades, including the departures of Durant and Irving in 2023 and Mikal Bridges last season. This has led to low expectations this season, a point that first-year coach Jordi Fernandez frequently emphasizes to his players.
Dennis Schroder added 29 points after scoring 31 against Golden State, while Trendon Watford contributed 18 points. The Nets shot 56.4 percent after halftime, 50.6 percent overall, and scored at least 125 points for the third time this season.
The Nets are 1-2 in their NBA Cup games with a minus-16 point differential, while Orlando is unbeaten in its two in-season tournament games with a plus-37 differential in East Group A.
One of Brooklyn’s worst performances this season came on October 25 in Orlando when the Magic won 116-101 by outscoring the Nets 67-55 in the second half.
Banchero scored 15 points in that previous meeting but has been out since October 30 with an oblique injury. Despite his absence, Orlando is 10-5 in the 15 games without him and enters the opener of a five-game road trip with four straight wins and 10 victories in their last 11 games.
Orlando ranks last in the NBA in three-point percentage (31 percent) but is coming off one of its best shooting performances in weeks, making 38.5 percent of its three-pointers in a 133-119 win over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.
Jalen Suggs scored a season-high 31 points after missing Monday’s game in Charlotte with a hamstring injury. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added a season-best 24 points after not scoring more than 13 in any game this season, helping Orlando score 73 points by halftime.
