Nets drop to 0-4 after 137-109 loss to Rockets

C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News on Oct 27, 2025

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Someone had to get their first win.

The Houston Rockets made sure it wasn’t the Brooklyn Nets, handing Brooklyn a 137-109 loss Monday night at Toyota Center to send it to 0-4 on the young season.

Coming off Sunday’s defeat in San Antonio, the Nets looked to salvage the second half of their Texas trip but once again struggled to sustain energy and execution for a full 48 minutes.

Brooklyn’s 522 points allowed through four games are the most in franchise history

“The energy that we’ve had at times, I need consistency and urgency,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “And that has to be something that we cannot decide that we’re doing or not … It’s a matter of who we want to be … It’s just unacceptable to take an NBA game for granted.”

With Egor Demin sidelined and fellow rookies Drake Powell and Danny Wolf in the G League, the Nets’ short-handed bench opened the door for Nolan Traoré, the 19th overall pick, to see extended minutes.

Brooklyn started sharp, hitting its first three shots to jump out 7-2, while Terance Mann poured in 10 quick points on 4-of-5 shooting. But the offense dried up fast. Houston closed the quarter on a 15-0 run, with all eight Rockets who played getting on the board and shot 62.5% from the field to build a 42-25 lead after one.

Houston’s early cushion didn’t hold for long. Brooklyn bounced back with a 35-29 second quarter, hitting five 3s and shooting 56.5% while forcing three turnovers. But Tari Eason kept the Rockets in control, scoring 12 of his 20 first-half points in the period to send Houston into halftime up 71-60.

Mann was Brooklyn’s spark in the first half, scoring 14 points and bringing the bench to its feet with a soaring put-back dunk with 1:20 to play.

Then everything unraveled. Brooklyn’s offense stalled in the third quarter as Day’Ron Sharpe was the lone bright spot, scoring nine points on 4-for-4 shooting off the bench. The rest of the team managed little, with only three other players scoring and just one topping four points. Houston took advantage, shooting 52.9% to Brooklyn’s 36.8% and outscoring the Nets 32-17.

By the time the fourth quarter began, Houston had stretched its lead to 26 points, and the Rockets never let up, snuffing out any chance of a Brooklyn comeback this time. With the Rockets up 120-91 and 7:14 remaining, both coaches emptied their benches.

Mann led the Nets with 21 points and six rebounds, while Michael Porter Jr. added 18 points, four rebounds and two assists as Brooklyn shot 47.7% from the field. Traoré had four points, two rebounds and three assists in a career-high 21 minutes.

Eason led seven Rockets in double figures with 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

The Nets turned it over just 14 times, yet those giveaways turned into 23 points for Houston. The Rockets also dominated inside and off the bench, outscoring the Nets 66-46 in the paint and 64-49 in bench points.

Brooklyn will look to snap its skid Wednesday when it hosts the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center.

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