The Nets’ first win of the season didn’t spark any momentum. Two nights after breaking through in Indianapolis, they were back in the loss column Friday at Barclays Center, falling to the Detroit Pistons 125-107 to slip to 1-8 and 0-5 at home.

Cade Cunningham (34) and Jalen Duren (30) powered the Pistons with a combined 64 points in a 57.6% team shooting effort, while Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 28 points on 8-for-17 from the field in Brooklyn’s latest home loss. Yet amid another frustrating night, one bright spot continued to shine for Brooklyn: Noah Clowney.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify keeping Clowney out of the starting lineup. Coming off a career-best outing on Wednesday, the third-year forward picked up right where he left off, hitting four of his first five shots from deep and scoring 12 points in the opening four minutes. His hot hand fueled a 5-for-6 start from distance for Brooklyn.

The Nets led by as many as 10 early in the first quarter, but nine turnovers in the period prevented them from pulling away. They settled for a two-point edge entering the second. Clowney’s four 3s were the most he’s ever made in a single quarter. He finished with 19 points on 5-for-13 shooting in 30 minutes.

Brooklyn committed just two turnovers in the second quarter, but as Clowney cooled off, so did the Nets. They shot only 40% in the period while Detroit caught fire, shooting 68.4% behind 10 points from Jalen Duren and nine from Cunningham. The Nets were outscored 33-26 in the frame and went into halftime trailing by five.

Cam Thomas’ absence opened the door for rookies Egor Demin and Drake Powell to see extended minutes, with Demin earning the first start of his career. The 19-year-old looked poised and efficient, scoring eight points on two made threes while adding five assists in his first 13 minutes. Powell didn’t find the same rhythm offensively but impressed with his relentless full-court defense on Cunningham.

Both rookies stayed on the floor late, even as the game slipped away. Detroit opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 72-57 lead with 9:05 remaining, as Cunningham poured in 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Brooklyn, meanwhile, shot just 4-for-19 in the period, with half of those makes coming from Porter. Another promising start quickly unraveled, and the Nets entered the fourth quarter down by 20.

The deficit never dipped below 18 points the rest of the way and both teams cleared their benches down the stretch. Brooklyn will get its next chance to regroup Sunday against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.