Michael Porter Jr.’s fearless drive with 5.4 ticks left turned a stomach-churning collapse into a momentum-saving 112-109 Brooklyn win, halting a five-game tail-spin and keeping the Bulls winless in clutch situations since Christmas.
How the Nets Flipped Panic Into Party Mode
Brooklyn owned a 92-72 cushion after Cam Thomas buried a corner triple to open the fourth, yet the Bulls ripped off a 37-16 surge to snatch a 109-108 lead on Tre Jones’ layup with 11.4 seconds left. Coach Jordi Fernandez—who spent the road trip lamenting three winnable losses—dialed up a baseline rub that freed Porter on the right block. The 6-foot-10 wing caught, took one dribble and finished through contact, reclaiming the lead before rookie Drake Powell sealed it with a sideline steal and two Noah Clowney free throws.
Porter, Clowney Deliver When Nets Need It Most
- Michael Porter Jr.: 26 pts, 9-17 FG, game-winning layup—his second go-ahead bucket inside 10 seconds this season.
- Noah Clowney: 23 pts, 11 reb, 5-8 3PT—first career 20-10 game and the league’s youngest player with 20-plus and five threes this year.
- Day’Ron Sharpe: 14 pts, 8 reb, +12 in 22 minutes—anchored the second-unit burst that built the 20-point cushion.
Clowney’s personal 7-0 spurt in the second quarter turned a shaky 42-38 edge into a commanding 57-38 bulge, offsetting a brutal missed dunk by Chicago rookie Matas Buzelis that could have trimmed the margin to two.
Chicago’s Clutch Woes Continue
The Bulls dropped to 2-9 in games decided by three points or fewer and have now lost six of their last seven overall. Despite holding Brooklyn scoreless for 4:12 in the fourth, they committed three live-ball turnovers in the final 70 seconds—extending a trend that has seen them cough up the ball on 17.8 percent of clutch possessions, the worst rate in the NBA. Head coach Billy Donovan leaned on a small-ball lineup featuring Coby White at the point, yet the group managed only one field goal in the last 1:08.
What It Means Now
Brooklyn vaults to 18-24, within two games of the final East play-in slot NBA standings, while Chicago slips to 19-24 and 1-4 on its current eight-game stretch against sub-.500 opponents. The Nets now own the head-to-head tiebreaker ahead of Sunday’s rematch at the United Center, where a sweep would pull them even in the loss column and amplify trade-deadline pressure on the Bulls’ front office.
Fernandez’s group finally executed late-game fundamentals—no turnovers on the final three possessions, perfect pressure defense, and a star willing to take the biggest shot. If Porter and Clowney replicate that composure, Brooklyn’s perceived lost season could pivot toward a surprise spring push.
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