The Brooklyn Nets didn’t just win on Sunday night. They made a statement. With a 127-82 rout of the short-handed Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn matched its franchise record for margin of victory at 45 points, never trailed, and reminded the league that their rough start doesn’t define them.

This wasn’t a squeaker or a hot final minute. It was control from the opening tip to the last horn. It was threes, pace, and poise. And it came with their head coach, Jordi Fernandez, home sick and assistant Steve Hetzel running the bench.

A record-tying night in Brooklyn

The 45-point win ties a Nets team mark first set on January 9, 1993, against Washington, back when the franchise played in New Jersey. Records like that don’t fall often. When they do, they signal something bigger than one good half.

Brooklyn’s start was crisp and confident. The Nets jumped ahead early and led 65-46 at halftime while shooting 56.5%. They widened the gap with a 34-23 third quarter, then slammed the door with a 28-11 fourth. That’s wire-to-wire dominance.

“This is what a system looks like — threes, pace, and trust.”

Short-handed Bucks, big gap without Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Bucks were missing their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is out with a strained right calf suffered in the opening moments of Milwaukee’s December 3 win over Detroit. Without him, Milwaukee has now dropped three of its last four.

Gary Trent Jr. tried to keep the Bucks afloat with 20 points. Kyle Kuzma added 13. But Milwaukee’s offense stalled, especially late. Scoring only 11 points in the fourth quarter told the story: there was no final push coming.

Shooting, spacing, and simple math

Brooklyn won the shot diet. The Nets hit 53% from the field (45-of-85) and a sharp 19-of-43 from three. They were nearly perfect at the stripe (18-of-19). Even with 15 turnovers, the math stayed firmly on their side because of the volume and accuracy from deep.

Compare that to Milwaukee’s cold stretch after halftime, and the result makes sense. When one team stacks efficient looks and the other can’t find rhythm, blowouts happen. That’s how you get 45 points of daylight in an NBA game.

“Demin and Clowney didn’t just score — they changed the pace.”

Young Nets step forward: Egor Demin, Noah Clowney, and T. Mann

On a night like this, the box score reads like a blueprint. Egor Demin led a balanced attack with 17 points. He played with calm and made smart plays, the kind that keep a lead growing.

Noah Clowney added 16 points and three rebounds, and he did it with real shooting touch: 4-of-9 from the floor, 4-of-8 from three, and a clean 4-of-4 at the line. For a young big, that range stretches a defense and opens driving lanes for everyone else.

T. Mann chipped in 12 points and five rebounds on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep. It was efficient, simple, and steady — a winning guard line on a winning night.

Bench boss cameo: Steve Hetzel guides a clean performance

With Jordi Fernandez out due to illness, assistant Steve Hetzel slid over to the first chair. Interim nights can get bumpy. This one didn’t. The Nets were organized, decisive, and together. Rotations made sense. The pace never sagged. The group trusted the plan.

“No Giannis, sure — but 45 is culture. That doesn’t happen by accident.”

From 3-13 start to signs of real momentum

Context matters. Brooklyn opened the season 3-13. That’s a hole, and it tests a locker room. Since then, the Nets have won four of their last six and are starting to rebuild their home form, now 3-4 at Barclays after beginning 0-9 there.

Blowouts can lie, but habits don’t. The habits looked right: fast decisions, willing extra passes, confident shooting, and tough closing defense. That fourth quarter — holding the Bucks to 11 points — was as telling as the early shot-making.

Why this win matters now

Yes, Milwaukee was without Giannis Antetokounmpo. But tying a 32-year-old franchise record still means something. It points to structure and buy-in. It hints that the Nets’ floor is rising, not just their ceiling on a hot night.

The NBA season is long. Good teams stack small steps. For Brooklyn, this was a big one because it came with clean offense and connected defense, not just a random shooting spike. The shooting was excellent, but the looks were earned.

What’s next: two Thursday tests

The Bucks will try to stop the slide when they host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday. Getting healthy will be priority one. The numbers say they need it.

The Nets host the Miami Heat on Thursday. That’s a different kind of test — a physical team that grinds and punishes mistakes. If Brooklyn brings the same pace, spacing, and shot selection, they’ll give themselves a real chance to keep this run going.

Final word

Brooklyn 127, Milwaukee 82. A number that will sit in the Nets’ record book next to January 9, 1993. The win was loud, but the message was simple: play fast, share the ball, trust the shot, defend to the end. Do that, and one of the coldest starts in the league can start to feel very far away.