The NBA's tank race is heating up. While many tanking teams are doing all they can to ensure losses, the Brooklyn Nets rattled off back-to-back wins over the Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies.
Following a 10-game losing streak, the Nets stunned the Pistons with a 23-point comeback in Detroit on Saturday. Jordi Fernandez rode a veteran-heavy rotation to victory. He played Michael Porter Jr. 39 minutes, his most in regulation of any game this season, and benched rookies Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf down the stretch. Brooklyn went on to defeat a depleted Grizzlies squad, 126-115, on Monday.
While the pair of victories dropped the Nets from second to fourth in the draft lottery standings, Fernandez outlined the importance of high-level competition.
“It just goes down to playing as hard as you can. To see development in certain guys who were able to play against a very, very good team and get better,” the coach said of Brooklyn's win at Detroit. “I think when you compete at the highest level is when you really get better. Danny Wolf played great minutes. And everybody, all those guys that played played well. Like Noah [Clowney] and Day’Ron [Sharpe]. We cannot forget that it’s not just the rookies. Sometimes when you don’t play well, I think that the accountability of coming back and saying, “I have to be better,’ that’s also good. That’s how you get better, too. I was very happy with how the group responded.”
Jordi Fernandez on the value of the Nets' win over the Pistons:
"I think when you compete at the highest level is when you really get better. Danny Wolf played great minutes. [So did] Noah and Day’Ron. We cannot forget that it’s not just the rookies. Sometimes when you don’t… pic.twitter.com/gIl1BVK1lx
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 9, 2026
Despite paying a hefty price to reacquire their 2025 and 2026 first-round picks, the Nets have not gone to the same lengths as other tanking teams during the last two seasons.
Nets lose ground in tank race following back-to-back wins
Several teams, including the Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz, have sat out nearly their entire rotations for games. However, the Nets have refused to do so. Monday was the latest example.
Memphis had just eight available players vs. Brooklyn, all of which were on a rookie contract, a minimum deal, or a two-way. The tanking squad had no available center for the matchup. Despite that, the Nets played both Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe.
The Brooklyn center duo dominated, combining for 28 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks on 11-of-16 shooting in just 38 minutes. Memphis' available players on Monday had a combined salary of $12.3 million. Claxton makes $25.4 million.
Following the pair of wins, the Nets sit a half-game back of the Wizards for third place in the draft lottery standings. They're two games behind the Pacers in second and 2.5 games behind the Kings in first.
After entering last season with several impact veterans, the Nets finished with the NBA's sixth-worst record and fell to the eighth pick in the draft. They could have a similar fate this season if they don't ramp up their tanking urgency down the stretch.
Brooklyn's next five games are against teams currently in the playoffs or play-in. However, the rebuilding squad has one of the NBA's easiest schedules over its last 12 games. The stretch features pairs of matchups with the Kings and Milwaukee Bucks, as well as meetings with the Pacers and Wizards.
