Basketball
Demin became the main character in the historic match. The coach’s threats worked
The Russian basketball player responded coolly to criticism from his coach and played the best game in the NBA.
Just a few days ago, the name of Yegor Demin was in the news in an unpleasant context – the head coach of Brooklyn publicly criticized the 19-year-old Russian after the match with Dallas. And now – a completely different reason. In the game against Milwaukee, Demin played his best game in the NBA, became the Nets’ most productive player and found himself at the center of one of the most spectacular defeats in the history of the club.
Best on floor and “+45” for “Brooklyn”
The match against Milwaukee turned out to be as comfortable as possible for the Brooklyn Nets. The team never gave up the score and eventually defeated the Bucks – 127:82. This is nothing less than a repeat of the biggest victory in the club’s history!
The main person of the meeting unexpectedly became Yegor Demin. The Russian defender scored 17 points and became Brooklyn’s most productive player. In 23.5 minutes, he made six of eight field goals, hit two of four three-pointers and made all his free throws accurately—three of three. The statistics also include three rebounds, three assists, two interceptions and one blocked shot.
For the 19-year-old Russian, this was the first game in which he became the Nets’ leading scorer with Michael Porter Jr. in the lineup. Noah Clowney scored 16 points, Porter – 12. Earlier, Demin had already led the list of Brooklyn scorers, but then Porter missed the meeting.
Response to trash talk: three-pointer and emotions
The match also had personal implications. In one episode, Milwaukee defender Gary Trent Jr. intercepted the ball from Demin and completed a quick attack, after which he began to openly tease the Russian, clapping his hands right in front of him.
The answer came quickly. In the next attack, Demin freed himself from Trent’s guard with the help of a screen and accurately shot from behind the arc. Egor did not hide his emotions after returning the favor. As a result, Trent became the Bucks’ most productive player with 20 points, but it was Demin who left the court as the main hero.
After the final siren, emotions only intensified. For Yegor, this evening will be remembered not only for statistics.
– It was great. I remembered my student days, when the whole team celebrated important events or someone’s records. For me personally, it was the first time they had an ice shower in the NBA – it turned out to be a lot of fun,” Demin said after the match.
According to him, the team’s mood was familiar: maximum dedication, fast basketball and strict implementation of defensive settings. The plan worked perfectly.
How Fernandez’s criticism changed the approach
The contrast with the previous game was stark. After the loss to Dallas (111:119), Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez came down hard on the young defender.
– This is not the level that the team needs. He needs to improve. Otherwise, his playing time will be reduced,” the New York Post quotes Fernandez as saying.
In the match with the Mavericks, Demin scored only three points in 18 minutes, did not make a single field goal and made several turnovers. According to the coach, Egor tried to “correct other people’s mistakes at any cost” and lost concentration.
After the victory over Milwaukee, Demin himself admitted that this criticism benefited him.
– This is part of becoming. There are bad days, it is important to analyze mistakes, watch videos and draw conclusions. The season is long, I’m just getting used to this schedule and learning to switch faster,” the Russian noted during a press conference.
He also emphasized that he deliberately entered the match with the intention of playing more aggressively – this is exactly what the coaching staff expects from him.
One match does not decide the fate of the season, but the game against Milwaukee became an important marker for Yegor Demin. He showed that he knows how to react to pressure, accept criticism and respond not with words, but with play. In the NBA, such evenings are especially highly valued. And for the 19-year-old Brooklyn guard, this may just be the beginning.
Source: Sportbox
I am a sports journalist who has been writing for a news website since 2015. My work primarily focuses on sports news, but I have also written about other topics such as technology and the arts. I have an extensive background in journalism, having worked as a reporter for a local newspaper before moving to a news website.
Star player of Los Angeles Lakers Luka Doncic Against the background of the embarrassing defeat of Houston Rockets (96:119), he explained what the team had to change to improve the results:
“I don’t know exactly what needs to change, but something definitely needs to change. We need to figure it out, that’s what we need to do. Everyone should discuss it.”
I know JJ Redick said it would be disturbing. And that’s the way it should be.
As I said, we need to discuss this. It may be uncomfortable, but everyone needs to try harder, starting with me.
We just have to challenge each other. Everyone should challenge themselves and their teammates. “There’s no way to play the way we play, so we’ve got to be better than that.”
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
On the night of December 25-26, as part of the Christmas games of the NBA regular season, the Denver Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 142:128.
Nuggets’ point guard Jamal Murray played with 35 points (2/3 free throws, 3/14 two-pointers, 9/18 three-pointers) and 10 assists in this game.
The Canadian player broke the record for the most accurate three-pointers in a match by making 9 three-pointers in the Minnesota hoop. Thus, he surpassed the record of 8 three-pointers each of Stephen Curry (2024), Grayson Allen (2023), Luka Doncic (2023) and Patty Mills (2021).
Murray also became the third player in NBA Christmas history to score 35+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ 3-pointers, joining Luka Doncic and Tracy McGrady.
JAMAL MURRAY brought the heat to CHRISTMAS DAY!
🔥35 POINTS
🔥10 AST
🔥 9 15:00 (most in Christmas Day matches)He joins Luka Dončić and Tracy McGrady only in the 35-PT, 10-AST, 5-3PM matches. #NBAXmas history. pic.twitter.com/LithevHmF5
— NBA (@NBA) December 26, 2025
Source: Sport UA
Ralph Bean is a writer for Sportish. Ralph has written about sports news for the last two years, and is currently an author on the site. He enjoys writing about sports, and hopes to cover more stories in the future.
On the evening of December 25 and the night of December 26, five Christmas games were traditionally held as part of the NBA regular season.
The most important match of the match day was played in Oklahoma, where the Thunder hosted San Antonio.
The home team started the game better and were ahead for most of the first quarter, but they missed a move 0:11 into the quarter, allowing Spurs to take the lead 41:36. Oklahoma was unable to take the lead after that, but San Antonio maintained its lead by keeping the game under control and eventually won 117-102.
The Spurs have won all three games against the Thunder this season, while Oklahoma has lost just two of the other 28 games.
The most productive player of the match was Fox, who brought 29 points to San Antonio, while Vembanyama also scored a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers played Houston at home and suffered a crushing defeat.
The fate of the match was decided in the first quarter, when the Rockets won by 12 points (25:37). Afterwards, they increased their advantage by completely controlling the course of the match and eventually won with a score of 119:96.
For Houston, Thompson scored 26 points and Shengyun had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Denver and Minnesota closed out game day.
The first half of the match ended in a draw. Neither team managed to take a lead of more than 9 points, and Denver entered the big break with a 2-point lead at 57:55. In the third quarter, the Nuggets made an attack of 6:0 at the beginning and 10:2 in the middle, reaching a 16-point lead, and at the end of the quarter they were ahead +15 – 90:78. The Timberwolves did not give up and made a 16:2 move midway through the fourth quarter, reaching a lead of 107:108. This gave fans a tense ending; Edwards hit a three-pointer 2 seconds before the siren, sending the game into overtime at 115:115. And there Jokic played a decisive role and scored 18 points in 5 minutes, allowing the Nuggets to win 142:138.
Jokic scored 56 points in the NBA on Christmas Day, falling just four shy of Bernard King’s record. Nikola also recorded a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Murray had a double-double with 35 points and 10 assists.
NBA. Regular season. Christmas Day, 25-26 December
New York – Cleveland – 126:124 (23:38, 37:20, 24:38, 42:28)
New York: Brunson (34), Hart (15), Bridges (12), Towns (11 + 14 rebounds), Anunoby (8) – start; Clarkson (25), Kolek (16 + 9 assists), Diawara (5), Hookporty (0), Robinson (0 + 12 rebounds).
cleveland: Mitchell (34 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), Garland (20 + 10 assists), Merrill (11), Allen (7 + 9 rebounds), Wade (6) – start; Tyson (16), E. Mobley (14 + 9 rebounds), Hunter (13), Bryant (3), Ball (0).
Oklahoma – San Antonio – 102:117 (36:41, 24:28, 19:26, 23:22)
Oklahoma: Gilgeous-Alexander (22), Hartenstein (13 + 12 rebounds), Jaylen Williams (12 + 6 assists), Holmgren (10 + 12 rebounds), Dort (8) – start; Caruso (12), K. Williams (8), Wiggins (5), Joe (5), Wallace (5), Carlson (2), Barnhizer (0), Youngblood (0).
San Antonio: Fox (29), Castle (19 + 7 assists), Barnes (15), Cornet (6), Vassell (5) – start; Vembanyama (19 + 11 rebounds), Harper (12), K. Johnson (9 + 7 rebounds), McLaughlin (3), Sohan (0), Shempeni (0), Brian (0), Olynyk (0), Waters (0).
Golden State – Dallas – 126:116 (40:28, 31:30, 29:31, 26:27)
Golden State: Curry (23), Butler (14 + 9 rebounds + 9 assists), Moody (12), Dr. Green (7), Post (6) – start; Melton (16), Horford (14), Podziemski (13 + 8 rebounds), Jackson-Davis (10), Payton II (6), Richard (5).
dallas: Flagg (27), Marshall (14), Washington (14 + 10 rebounds), Nembhard (4), Davis (3) – starter; Williams (26), Christie (13), Thompson (7), Gafford (6), Caleb Martin (2).
Lakers-Houston-96:119 (25:37, 28:26, 21:29, 22:27)
Lakers: Doncic (25 + 7 assists + 6 turnovers), James (18), Reeves (12), Ayton (10), Hachimura (0) – start; Vanderbilt (11), Smart (6), Larevia (5), James Jr. (3), Thiero (2), Knecht (2), Kleber (2).
Houston: Thompson (26 + 7 rebounds), Durant (25 + 9 assists), Smith (16 + 7 rebounds), Shengyun (14 + 12 rebounds + 6 turnovers), Eason (13) – start; Sheppard (13), Capela (6), Adams (4 + 9 rebounds), Tate (2), A. Holiday (0), Davison (0), Green (0), Okogie (0), Finney-Smith (0).
Denver – Minnesota – 142:138 (STARTING 32:29, 25:26, 35:23, 23:37, 27:23)
Denver: Jokic (56 + 16 rebounds + 15 assists + 5 turnovers), J. Murray (35 + 10 assists), Hardaway (19), Jones (12 + 9 rebounds), Watson (9) – start; B. Brown (7), Nnaji (2), Valanciunas (2), Strother (0).
Minnesota: Edwards (44 + 6 turnovers), Randle (32 + 7 rebounds + 6 assists), McDaniels (21), Gobert (9 + 12 rebounds + 6 blocks), DiVincenzo (6 + 7 rebounds + 8 assists) – start; Reed (13), Hyland (11), Clark (2), Juzeng (0), Conley (0), Shannon (0).
tournament tables
Western Conference
Eastern Conference
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
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