Michael Porter Jr. lit the fuse early, and the Nets’ defense did the rest.

Porter poured in a game-high 28 points and Brooklyn sustained its December defensive surge Tuesday night, holding the Philadelphia 76ers to 40.7% shooting while forcing 17 turnovers in a 114-106 win at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The victory improved the Nets to 9-19 and marked just the second time this season they’ve put together consecutive wins, a small but telling sign of traction for a team still finding itself.

Brooklyn couldn’t have scripted a rougher start, though it was only the first swing in a night that kept shifting. The Nets opened the night 0 for 7 from the field, 0 for 6 from 3-point range and quickly fell behind Philadelphia, 8-1.

Then Porter caught fire.

The forward buried three straight treys, flipping the game on its head and giving Brooklyn the lead as he scored 12 of the Nets’ first 15 points. Locked in from the jump, Porter went 4 for 5 from the field and 3 for 4 from deep in the opening quarter, continuing his surge toward a potential first All-Star nod. By the time he headed to the bench with 2:45 left in the period, Porter had 14 points, tied for his most in a first quarter this season, and what looked like an early runaway had turned into a back-and-forth battle, with the Nets and 76ers knotted at 27 entering the second.

The Nets’ reserves were a bit careless to open the period, as turnovers from Nolan Traore, Tyrese Martin and Ziaire Williams helped Philadelphia build a seven-point lead with 10 minutes left in the half. But once head coach Jordi Fernández went back to his starters, Brooklyn tightened up, ripping off an 18-4 run to swing the game again and take a seven-point lead with 4:46 left before the break.

Porter’s halftime line was ridiculous: 25 points on 8-for-13 shooting, including 5-for-8 shooting from deep and a +10 in just 17 minutes. Yet it amounted to only a six-point Nets lead. It was the most points he’s ever scored in a half, and Brooklyn backed it up on the defensive end. Outside of Joel Embiid’s 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting, the rest of the 76ers combined to shoot just 10 for 29 (34.5%).

That defensive focus carried over into the next frame, though the Nets got an unexpected assist when Embiid went down minutes into the third quarter after tripping over Terance Mann’s leg. Embiid grabbed at his right knee and was helped to the locker room before later returning to the sideline with both knees wrapped. Brooklyn capitalized during that window, continuing to defend with purpose while pairing it with efficient offense and a timely burst from Egor Demin to open its largest lead of the night at 12 points with 7:01 remaining in the period.

Embiid returned at the 6:49 mark and turned the ball over on his first possession back, and the Nets kept up the pressure. Brooklyn pushed the lead to 17 and took an 89-77 advantage into the fourth after holding Philadelphia to 27.3% shooting in the third quarter and forcing seven turnovers.

The 76ers missed their first four shots to open the final frame, and a 3-point play by Traore off a blur of a drive to the basket pushed Brooklyn’s lead to 18. It looked decisive, though Philadelphia had one last push after the home crowd grew restless, trimming the deficit to nine with 3:56 left. But Demin put an end to that run, drilling two of his career-high-tying five 3-pointers in the closing minutes to keep Brooklyn firmly in control.

Demin finished with 20 points and five assists, Nic Claxton recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Noah Clowney added 13 points despite another inefficient night.

Embiid led Philadelphia with 27 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Nets return to action Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

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