Nets beat Bulls, 112-109, to end five-game slide

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News on Jan 16, 2026

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The Nets finally closed one out.

Behind a big night from Michael Porter Jr. and a major lift from its bench, Brooklyn snapped a five-game skid with a 112–109 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Barclays Center, improving to 12-27.

Porter finished with 26 points and seven rebounds, scoring the go-ahead basket in the final seconds, while Noah Clowney added 23. Brooklyn’s reserves outscored Chicago’s bench 48-41, led by Day’Ron Sharpe’s 14 points, six rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.

It was also a milestone night for longtime Nets radio analyst Tim Capstraw, who called his 2,000th consecutive game.

Brooklyn didn’t shoot the ball well right away, but its depth kept it steady until the game opened up. Despite hitting just 40% from the field in the first quarter, eight different Nets scored in the opening 12 minutes, with Porter leading the way with five points. Chicago leaned heavily on Nikola Vucevic early, as the veteran center scored eight points in the period.

The Bulls shot 56.3% in the quarter, but four turnovers kept them from capitalizing. The Nets turned those miscues into five points and got going from deep, knocking down six 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a four-point lead after one. Danny Wolf’s left-wing triple with 9.7 seconds left was the biggest of them, giving Brooklyn a late jolt heading into the second.

The separation came in the second quarter, when the Nets’ bench and defense took over. Ten different Brooklyn players had scored by the 2:23 mark of the period as the Nets pushed the pace and kept fresh bodies rotating in. Clowney poured in 10 points in the quarter, while reserves Wolf, Sharpe, Terance Mann and Cam Thomas combined for 15, with Sharpe leading that group with eight.

Brooklyn shot 61.1% in the second quarter and held Chicago to just 25% shooting, outscoring the Bulls 30-17 and building a commanding halftime lead. Chicago’s 40 first-half points were the second-fewest the Nets have allowed in a first half this season, and Brooklyn’s cushion was its second-largest halftime advantage of the year.

The Nets remained in control in the third quarter, continuing to win the perimeter battle while limiting the Bulls’ chances to string stops together. Brooklyn went 5 of 9 from three in the period and forced four Chicago turnovers, keeping the lead at 89-72 entering the fourth.

But the Nets’ late-game offense stalled again, and the Bulls took full advantage. Chicago erased what had once been a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit, trimming it to four with five minutes remaining. After a back-and-forth stretch, an Isaac Okoro steal and dunk made it a one-point game with 14 seconds left. Drake Powell missed a layup on the other end, and Tre Jones raced down the floor for an acrobatic transition finish that put Chicago ahead 109-108, forcing a Nets timeout with 11.4 seconds remaining.

Porter answered with the biggest play of the night, slicing through Chicago’s defense for a finish at the rim to put Brooklyn back in front by one with 5.4 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds play, Powell jumped the pass and snatched it to end the threat. Clowney then drilled two free throws to extend the lead to three with 2.5 seconds remaining, and Vucevic’s desperation heave fell short.

Vucevic led Chicago with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Nic Claxton pulled down a season-high 14 rebounds, and rookie Nolan Traore had eight points and a game-high seven assists.

The Nets face the Bulls again Sunday, this time at the United Center.