NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 04: Head coach Jordi Fernandez of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on November 04, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Nets won 114-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) | Getty Images Anthony Puccio · SB Nation Sun, November 15, 2026 at 7:29 AM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "They played harder than us."
Those are words you never want to hear from the head coach of a rebuilding team. Especially not in Year 3.
The Brooklyn Nets had a chance to build on their blowout win over New Orleans. Mikel Brown Jr. was back after missing the last two games. There was a small window to finally pick up some momentum. Instead, they followed it up with another frustrating loss, 129-110, in the finale of a four-game road-trip.
Brooklyn fell behind early and trailed 38-23 after the first quarter. You'd never think Memphis played a game just the night before.
The Nets struggled to contain Memphis from the perimeter and committed 16 turnovers that led to 30 Grizzlies points. They made a push in the third quarter and cut a 23-point deficit to eight, but couldn't get the stops necessary to make it a game.
"I think we cut it to seven at some point and you should have been in the game, but we are not mature enough… we played against a team that played in a second of a back-to-back with the same travel that we had, and they played the right way, played really hard and we're not there yet. So, you know, go back and work and find ways to get better, because when you're not consistent and you don't find those ways, it's just like that's not what we want to do here," Fernandez said after the game.
The Nets briefly led 7-5, but Memphis responded with a 9-0 run and never let up control. Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells got hot early, and a Wells' three-pointer forced a Brooklyn timeout with 7:55 remaining in the first quarter, with the Grizzlies flipping the score to 16-9 in their own favor.
The shooting didn't slow down. Memphis made nine three-pointers in the opening quarter and carried a 38-23 lead into the second. Brooklyn faced a 19-point deficit in the first half before making a small dent in it. The Grizzlies still led 71-54 at halftime.
"Right now the two practices we've had, we've practiced very well. So we practice better than we play, which is not a terrible sign. It's a frustrating sign because you believe you're better, but all we can do is go back to work."
Julius Randle said Brooklyn didn't match Memphis' urgency from the opening tip. The three-time All-Star pointed to the team's overall start as a bigger issue.
"We didn't punch first. We didn't come out with a sense of urgency, and they took advantage of that," he said.
"Just organization. I think maybe just trying too hard, playing a little unorganized, stuff like that," Randle said. "And then just attention to detail, you know, just think we got a lapse of focus sometimes."
Sparked by scoring from Noah Clowney, Day'Ron Sharpe, and Julius Randle, Brooklyn put together a strong third-quarter surge to cut the deficit to 85-77 with 5:12 remaining. Memphis took a 103-84 lead into the fourth quarter and eventually stretched the margin beyond 20.
It was Brooklyn's fifth loss by double figures.
"They got to grow fast," Fernandez said about the young group. "You know, like being 20 is not an excuse.…. I'm frustrated or I get mad because I know they're very good and they're better than this. And when I just don't see a connected group is, it hurts…"
Michael Porter Jr. attended Saturday's game after missing time for personal reasons. Fernández was asked about Porter's absence and whether he knew when the forward might return, but the coach declined.
"No, we want to give him his privacy. Everything, it's fine. So, we're happy that he was here," Fernández said.
Mikel Brown Jr. returned after missing the last two games. It's been a bit of a strange start and the guard missed the last two games for two different reasons — one for injury management and the other for an illness. The rookie finished with six points and two assists on 2-of-5 shooting in 20 minutes.
After the game, his father pointed out the importance of the floor general. Take it for whatever it's worth.
Brooklyn's trip to Memphis didn't go according to plan . The Nets were caught in Friday night's FAA ground stop after boarding their charter flight out of New Orleans, forcing the team to stay overnight before finally flying out Saturday morning.
The team arrived in Memphis around 11 a.m., just hours before its game against the Grizzlies. The unexpected delay also forced Brooklyn to scrap its planned morning shootaround.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously it was something that we couldn't control," head coach Jordi Fernández said. "And to be honest with you, it was not that bad. We had good rest and got here [Saturday] morning and did our walkthrough, and probably [would have] gone to the gym, but we were not able to. And I think we feel good and ready to go."
Fernández acknowledged that the altered schedule wasn't ideal, particularly for players who had grown accustomed to the team's usual pregame routine.
"Everybody's safe. It's the most important thing," he said.
The Nets are back home against the 76ers on Monday, November 16.
Source: Sports
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