Nets routed by Mavericks in sluggish performance

DALLAS — The Nets let go of the rope Sunday. There was a disconnect, bad body language and even worse defense.

And the result was as horrible as it sounds, a 130-93 beating at the hands of the Mavericks before a crowd of 19,184 at American Airlines Center.

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Looking sluggish and spent, the Nets got shredded on defense, never led, fell behind by 37 and were noncompetitive the whole night.

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after a dunk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets in Dallas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, obviously defensively we were not connected, and we made a lot of mistakes. And then a team like this, when they’re in rhythm with the players that they have, it’s when you can get hurt,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “They made some tough ones, and we also allowed some. I thought offensively, we created good shots, but we again turned it over too much — and the nature of the turnovers, 17 turnovers for 24 points. That’s just not acceptable.

“And a lot of them were like we’re trying to run in transition and we give it to the other team, and those are tough. We still created 21 turnovers with 25 points, and I think that that’s the pressure and who we want to be. But overall, a poor defensive game.”

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That’s an understatement.

The Nets (2-8) saw Cooper Flagg dominate with 25 points, 12 assists and five rebounds while Kyrie Irving scored 21 against his former team.

Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 19 points and nine boards, but Julius Randle struggled with just 13 and finished a minus-33. This team isn’t capable of winning with that sort of performance from Randle.

The Nets allowed 57.1 percent shooting, including 61.9 percent in a first half that saw them trail 66-46, and unlike the Hawks a day earlier, they never rallied.

Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Getty Images

The Nets had caught Atlanta on the tail end of a back-to-back and built a 17-point cushion. They even led by four with 1:45 to play before coughing up 10…

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Publish date : 2026-11-09 03:56:00

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