“It comes with responsibility,” Jordi Fernández said post-game Sunday. “Responsibility to take the shot when you open, responsibility to box out when you have to. Obviously, the 19 second chance points — once again, if we don’t rebound, we don’t win. We’ve been the number one defensive rebounding team for a stretch of games where we had the best defense, and now we’re not rebounding and we’re not winning games. Got to keep learning, got to keep getting 1% better every day, and holding the guys accountable,
but also supporting them because there were good things done tonight.”
This quote was very indeed important, because it is nothing but the truth, particularly when the organization’s goals are developing their six players on rookie deals — the Flatbush Five plus Noah Clowney — and securing a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The first goal seems to be well on its way to success. As for the second, at the moment, the Nets have the fifth best odds of nailing the overall No. 1 in the draft lottery at 10.5% as well as a 42.1% shot at a top four pick. On the other hand, they also have a 55.0% chance of getting the sixth, seventh or eighth pick.
Even though Brooklyn wound their own enemy in the Memphis Grizzlies 103-98 comeback victory, they did not play bad at all. Whether it was Danny Wolf’s double double, or Nolan Traore’s six assists without a turnover or Jalen Wilson’s contributing minutes, players stepped up, at least till the end. But you can only go so far when you miss your best player and you have the youngest and least experienced roster in the league.
Tonight, the Nets will look to recuperate in their second game of a back-to-back and their second game in a three-out-of four stretch against the Dallas Mavericks. Sitting at 12th place in the Western Conference standings at 14-25, only a game and a half better than Brooklyn, the Mavs will look to avoid losing their third straight loss and begin to wonder whether with all their injuries, it’s time to join the tank war. More on that below.
Also, congratulations to Chris Carrino and his son Chris Jr. for their work on the FAN during the Grizzlies game. It was the first time an NBA game was called by a father-son duo. I know the younger Carrino pretty well, and I think he has a chance to be great like his dad.
Where to Watch
Check out the action at 8:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and NBA League Pass, as well as streaming on the Gotham Sports App.
Injury Report
Michael Porter Jr. is back. So is Drake Powell but Zaire Williams (illness) remains out. And since it’s a back-to-back and losses are at a premium, Egor Demin and Cam Thomas (injury management) are both sitting as well. Haywood Highsmith, who’s still recovering from off-season surgery, won’t be making his season debut yet either. Ben Saraf, who’s had an ankle issue is assigned to Long Island where he’ll join two-ways Tyson Etienne, E.J. Liddell and Chaney Johnson will be in Uniondale.
In Dallas, the list is even longer and deeper. Dereck Lively and Dante Exum are out for the year. Dallas was granted injury exceptions for both last week. Finally, Anthony Davis sustained ligament damage in his left hand and could miss “number of months,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. Also, there was word last week that it’s unlikely we’ll see Kyrie Irving this season.
P.J. Washington (ankle) is listed as doubtful for Monday’s game against Brooklyn as is Brandon Williams (illness). Moussa Cisse (shoulder) is listed as questionable.
The Game
Like the Grizzlies, the Mavericks are bereft of healthy bodies. Indeed, Dallas is at an inflection point. After getting to the Finals two years ago, then trading Luka Doncic to the Lakers but still making the play-in tournament — and getting Cooper Flagg in the lottery — things have gone south. All the key players on the Mavs roster other than Flagg are out for months if not the rest of the season.
The effect is obvious. The Mavs have lost seven of the last ten. With Davis two months away from his 33rd birthday and likely to undergo hand surgery, the chances that they’ll be able to move him at the deadline approaches nil. As Sam Quinn of CBS Sports wrote recently, the prospect of a rebuild grows but it’s tricky. Both Davis and Irving will be 33 next season and making a lot of money — a combined $90 million.
Part of the motivation of trading Davis was the need to lose games. The Mavericks don’t control their own first-round picks between 2027 and 2030. That makes the 2026 NBA Draft absolutely critical. It’s their one chance to draft a young, cheap co-star for Cooper Flagg that’s on his timeline. Having Davis on their team only hurt their draft position. He may not be playing at a superstar level, but he’s still the best player on this mess of a roster.
Well, if Davis is injured enough to miss the rest of the season, that solves the draft issue without a trade. Dallas could tank in peace and then bring Davis and Kyrie Irving back next season with an eye on managing two timelines. A healthy Davis and Irving would be ready to win now. Flagg and the 2026 draft pick would take over later, and probably benefit from the playoff games Davis and Irving could help them reach. A hybrid of Nico Harrison’s deranged vision and the more measured approach most have called for since the Mavericks won last May’s lottery.
In a way, the Nets situation is more simple, but bottom line, the Mavericks still have Flagg, the best young player in the game, and that’s huge.
What to expect tonight? More minutes for Nolan Traore for one. The 6’4” French speedster had his best game as a playmaker Sunday with six assists and no turnovers. Expect him to find MPJ.
Player to Watch
Who’s left to watch? Well, that’s obvious. Cooper Flagg. For the season, the 6’9” wing/point guard/power forward is averaging 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists for the Mavericks. He’s tailed off a bit in January with games of 12, 11 and 10 points in the last five after averaging 23.5 in December. That’s caused some worry in Dallas amidst all the team’s other woes. Is Flagg hitting the “rookie wall?” Matt Martinez of Mavs Moneyball asks.
He had 26 and 10 in Thursday’s 116-114 loss at the Utah Jazz and 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting in Tuesday’s 100-98 win at the Sacramento Kings, but in two games before those and one since, Flagg has combined to shoot just 12-of-40 (30%) from the field.
Walls are made to be broken as are records, Flagg may be looking at a couple of big milestones next month. The first is making the All-Star game, not as a rising star but as a full-fledged member of the team. He would become the first rookie since Blake Griffin in 2011 to make it, as Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News reported last week.
Flagg entered the All-Star conversation earlier this week as the only rookie to land on the list of top-20 vote-getters for both conferences in the league’s second fan returns. He ranked 16th in the Western Conference with 236,182 votes. That mark is slightly behind the 269,979 votes collected by 13th-place teammate Anthony Davis. The recognition surprised Flagg, who’s rewritten several NBA records during his first two months as a professional.
“I feel blessed,” Flagg said. “Obviously, to see that is really cool. I feel really honored and really blessed just to see my name up there.”
Curtis notes that only 45 rookies have made the team in the NBA’s 80-year history and just eight have been selected since the draft lottery era began in 1985. Before Griffin, Yao Ming accomplished the feat in 2003.
And if he makes the mid-season classic, he’ll be the youngest player ever as well. Kobe Bryant made the 1998 All-Star team at 19 years and 169 days. Flagg would be 19 years and 56 days. And oh yeah, the youngest player in the NBA has never made the All-Star Game.
From the Vault
He’s not playing tonight, obviously, but just for fun, here’s the video of Kyrie Irving’s 60-point game three long years ago…
More reading: Mavs Moneyball, SB Nation NBA, New York Post, New York Daily News, Clutch Points, Nets Wire, Steve’s Newsletter, City of Nets
- Brooklyn Nets Game Notes – Brooklyn Nets
- Dallas Mavericks Game Notes – Dallas Mavericks
- Brooklyn faces Dallas, aims to halt 3-game skid – AP
- Jordi Fernandez prioritizing rest for Michael Porter Jr. as Nets star sits out loss – Brian Lewis – New York Post
