Nets win back-to-back for first time this season behind Michael Porter Jr.’s 33 points

For the first time all season, the Brooklyn Nets are stacking wins. Behind another explosive start from Michael Porter Jr. and one of their sharpest defensive halves of the season, Brooklyn held off the Chicago Bulls 113-103 Wednesday night at United Center to secure their second straight victory and their first back-to-back wins of the year.

Jordi Fernández’s team still has a long way to go at 5-16, but there’s no denying the recent progress. The defense has sharpened, the offense has stabilized, the rookies are making real contributions and the improvement is starting to show on the floor.

Neither team found much rhythm early, but Porter dragged Brooklyn through the mud, scoring 14 of the Nets’ first 19 points before foul trouble sent him to the bench with 3:05 left in the opening quarter. His exit didn’t slow the momentum. As the bench cycled in, the offense steadied and the defense tightened, helping Brooklyn stretch the lead while Chicago sputtered to 32% shooting and coughed up five turnovers. By the end of the first, the Nets held a five-point cushion and were firmly in control.

Danny Wolf, who grew up in nearby Glencoe, Ill., and had more than 100 friends and family members in attendance according to the YES Network broadcast, buried his first 3-pointer of the night with 10:10 left in the second quarter, pushing Brooklyn’s lead to 13, its largest margin to that point. And the Nets’ defense kept smothering the Bulls, as Chicago didn’t record its first field goal of the period until the 8:16 mark on a contested drive by Josh Giddey.

The Bulls had just 44 points at halftime, the fewest the Nets have allowed in an opening half this season, and were shooting 34.1%, while Brooklyn went into the locker room with a 10-point lead after pushing the margin to as many as 15. Giddey was the lone Chicago player in double figures, and each of the 10 Nets who saw minutes contributed in some way in the first half, especially on the defensive end, while Porter continued to shoulder the scoring load.

After hot 3-point shooting out of the locker room pushed the Nets’ lead to as many as 17 in the third, Chicago settled in offensively and capitalized on turnovers to cut the deficit to eight entering the final frame. It was far from Brooklyn’s best defensive stretch, as the Bulls shot 54.5% in the period.

However, the Nets went 14 for 26 from deep in the second half, more than enough to put Chicago away despite committing 15 turnovers over the final two quarters. Their 19 total made 3s tied their season high. Porter finished with 33 points on 10-for-20 shooting, his seventh 30-point game of the year and already a new career high, surpassing the six he recorded in 2020–21 with Denver.

Giddey led the Bulls with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Nets return to Barclays Center on Thursday for a matchup with the Utah Jazz.

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