As implosions go, this one was impressive.
The Nets blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, folding down the stretch in a 115-104 loss to Atlanta before a sellout crowd of 17,121 at State Farm Arena.
The Nets were cruising along up 102-91 with 6:45 left, but coughed up a 24-2 run to close out the collapse.
The Nets surrendered the last 18 straight points, their starters giving up the ghost after the bench had handed them a late 11-point lead.
“Yeah, 18-0 run, unacceptable,” coach Jordi Fernández said. “We played well, we played a good brand of basketball — connected, defending, taking the lead, as a team.
“That second group was rolling and doing a great job. The way the game was going — and because it was not enough separation — I wanted to bring the starters back because I felt like otherwise, I’m leaving the bench [in] too long. … Probably, I made a mistake, I don’t know. But I expect a lot more from the whole starting group to not go into an 18-0 run. … So, got to be better.”
It was a capitulation that saw the Nets shoot just 1-for-15 — 0-for-10 from deep — and give away five turnovers. And a win that they seemed to have in the bag.
“Not good enough. Got to find a better way to close games,” Fernández said. “I trust the starters. I know how good they are, and this is not what I want from them. We played a great game until 5:30 to go, and then it goes away. So, it’s tough because wins in the NBA matter. You have to play to compete and win, and it didn’t happen.”
Granted, it would’ve been a Pyrrhic victory. This result may end up better in the long run, the long race for the lottery.
The Nets (15-41) are third in the lottery standings, just one game behind Indiana after the Pacers’ loss to Dallas.
Michael Porter Jr. had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but was just 1-for-8 from deep, and 8-for-49 in his last six games.
Jalen Johnson had 26 points and 12 boards to key Atlanta’s comeback.
The Nets had reeled off 13 unanswered to go up 49-44 with 5:26 left in the first half.
After conceding a 10-2 run to fall behind 89-85, Nolan Traore (11 points, five assists) helped spark a 10-0 run to go back up by six.
The Nets padded the cushion to 102-91 when Terance Mann hit a 3 with 8:01 left. But that’s when Brooklyn gave the game away.
“We have to do better, have to finish the game better,” Mann said. “We have to be able to take pride and not turn the ball over, find the easy baskets.”
Nic Claxton — who had 15 points, eight boards and five assists in his return from a sprained ankle — tried to stem the tide on a hook shot that made it 104-97 with 5:19 left. But the Nets didn’t score again, missing their final nine shots and committing three turnovers down the stretch.
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Johnson found CJ McCollum for a go-ahead 3-pointer that left the Nets down 105-104 with 2:28 to play, and Brooklyn never responded. Johnson’s and-one made it 108-104, and was the nail in the Nets’ coffin.
“We just didn’t execute down the stretch. We had five turnovers in the last five minutes,” Claxton said. “Our first group, we just got to be better. And tip our hat [to] the second group for getting us the lead, but we just got to be better.
“They turned up the intensity and we didn’t respond well. … We played well up until the end. We competed. It was a close game; we got some timely stops. But it’s a 48-minute game. So especially that last stint we’ve got to be better to win games.”